UNIVERSir/  OF 
ILUislOIS  LiBRARY 
AT  URBANA^HAMPAIGN 
BOOKSTACKS 

/ 

/  , 


I 


MANNE RS 

OF  THE 

ANCIENT  ISRAELITES: 

CONTAINING  AN  ACCOUNT- OF  THEIR 

PECULIAR  CUSTOMS  AND  CEREMONIES, 

THEIR 

LAWS,  POLITY,  RELIGION,  SECTS,  ARTS  AND  TRADES, 
DIVISIONS  OF  TIME,  WARS,  CAPTIVITIES,  &c. 

WITH  A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  SAMARITANS. 

WRITTEN  ORIGINALLY  IN  FRENCH  BY 

CLAUDE  FLEURY, 

Jibbe  of  Argenteiiil,  and  member  of  the  Royal  Academy  y  Paris. 

THE  WHOLE  MUCH  ENLARGED  FROM   THE  PRINCIPAL 
WRITERS  ON   JEWISH  ANTIQUITIES, 

BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D.,  F.  S.  A. 
'*^©@€)'**** 

NEW- YORK, 

PUBLISHED  BY  B.  WAUGH  AND  T.  MASON, 

For.lhe  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  the  t  'onfcrcnce  Office, 
]\o.  200  Mulberry -street. 

J.  Colloid,  Printer. 

1834. 


PREFACE. 


Every  attempt  to  illustrate  the  Bible,  the 
oldest  and  most  important  book  in  the  world,  a 
book  that  has  God  for  its  Jiulhor^  and  the  eter- 
nal happiness  of  the  human  race  for  its  end^ 
deserves  the  most  serious  attention  of  all  those 
who  profess  the  Christian  rehgion. 

It  is  granted  on  all  hands  that  this  book  has 
many  difficulties  ;  but  this  is  not  peculiar  to  the 
Jewish  Scriptures:  all  ancient  writings  aie  full 
of  them  :  and  these  difficulties  are  generally  in 
proportion  to  the  antiquity  of  such  writings  ;  for 
the  customs,  manners,  and  language  of  man- 
kind are  continually  changing  ;  and  were  it  not 
for  the  help  received  from  the  records  of  suc- 
ceeding ages,  which  are  only  accessible  to  the 
learned,  many  valuable  works  of  primitive  times 
must  have  remained  in  impenetrable  obscurity. 
Scholars  and  critics  have  exerted  themselves  in 
the  most  laudable  manner  to  remove  or  eluci- 
date the  difficulties  occurring  in  ancient  au- 
thors ;  and  (thanks  to  their  industry)  they  have 
rendcrccl  the  study  of  these  writers  not  only 


4 


PREFACE. 


easy  but  delightful  ;  and  brought  the  literature 
of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome  within  the  reach 
even  of  our  children. 

But  the  heathen  writers  have  not  been  the 
only  objects  of  regard  in  the  grand  system  of 
critical  disquisition.  A  host  of  the  most  emi- 
nent scholars  that  ever  graced  the  republic  of 
letters,  or  ennobled  the  human  character,  have 
carefully  read,  and  diligently  studied,  the  Sacred 
Writings  ;  have  felt  their  beauties,  and  prized 
their  excellencies  ;  and,  by  their  learned  and 
pious  works,  have  not  only  recommended  them 
to  mankind  at  large,  but  rendered  them  useful 
to  all  who  wish  to  read  so  as  to  understand. 
Some  of  these  have  been  addressed  to  the  infi- 
del, others  to  the  scholar,  and  some  to  the  plain, 
unlettered  Christian.  The  number  of  the  lat- 
ter, it  is  true,  has  not  been  great  ;  but  what  is 
deficient  in  quantity  is  supphed  by  the  very 
accurate  information  they  impart.  Such  works 
want  only  to  be  generally  known  to  become 
universally  esteemed. 

In  the  first  rank  of  such  writers  the  Abbe 
Fleury,  and  Father  Lamy,  stand  highly  and 
deservedly  distinguished  ;  the  former  by  his 
treatise  entitled  Mœurs  des  Israelites,  (the  book 
now  before  the  reader)  and  the  latter  by  his  well 
known  work  called  Apparatus  Bibliçus.  The 


PREFACE. 


5 


former  is  the  most  useful  treatise  on  the  subject 
I  have  ever  met  with. 

In  1756  the  Mœurs  des  Israelites  was  trans- 
lated by  the  Rev.  Ellis  Farneworth,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  bishop  of  Litchfield  and  Coventry. 
How  it  was  received  I  cannot  tell,  being  long 
before  my  time  ;  but  if  it  sold  in  proportion  to 
the  merit  of  the  work,  and  the  fidelity  of  the 
execution,  a  considerable  number  must  soon 
have  been  disposed  of.  When  I  first  thought 
of  preparing  a  new  edition  of  this  work  for  the 
public,  I  intended  to  re-translate  the  original  ; 
but  on  reading  over  the  translation  of  Mr.  Far- 
ne worth,  I  was  satisfied  that  a  better  one,  on  the 
whole,  could  scarcely  be  hoped  for.  In  gene- 
ral the  language  is  simple,  pure,  and  elegant  ; 
and  both  the  spirit  and  unction  of  the  original 
are  excellently  preserved.  I  therefore  made  no 
scruple  to  adopt  it,  reserving  to  myself  the 
liberty  to  correct  what  I  thought  amiss,  and  to 
add  such  notes  as  I  judged  necessary  to  the 
fuller  elucidation  of  the  work. 

As  some  judicious  friends  thought  the  origi- 
nal work  rather  too  concise,  and  hinted  that 
several  useful  additions  might  be  made  to  it  on 
the  same  plan,  I  was  naturally  led  to  turn  to 
Father  Lamtj  for  materials,  whose  work  above 
mentioned  I  considered  as  ranking  next  to  that 


6 


PREFACE. 


of  the  Mhe  Fleury,  From  Mr.  Bundifs  edi- 
tion, much  of  the  fourth  part  of  the  present 
volume  is  extracted.  Those  points  which  I 
suppose  the  Jlbhe  had  treated  too  concisely  to 
make  intelligible,  I  have  considered  more  at 
large  ;  and  some  subjects  of  importance,  which 
he  had  totally  omitted,  I  have  here  introduced, 
To  the  whole  I  have  added  a  copious  iîidex, 
by  which  any  subject  discussed  in  the  work 
may  at  once  be  referred  to.  I  have  now  rea- 
son to  hope  that  every  serious  Christian^  of 
whatever  denomination,  will  find  this  volume  a 
faithful  and  pleasant  guide  to  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  all  the  customs  and  manners,  civil 
and  religious,  of  that  people  to  whom  God  ori- 
ginally intrusted  the  sacred  oracles.  Without 
a  proper  knowledge  of  these,  it  is  impossible  to 
see  the  reasonableness  and  excellency  of  that 
worship,  and  those  ceremonies  which  God  him- 
self originally  established  among  the  Israelites  ; 
and  by  which  he  strongly  prefigured  that  glorious 
revelation  under  which  we  have  the  happiness 
to  live. 

The  late  excellent  bishop  of  Norwich,  Dr. 
Horne,  recommends  this  work  in  the  following 
terms  :  "  This  little  book  contains  a  concise^ 
2)leasing,  and  just  account  of  the  manners,  .eus- 
ioms,  Imvsy  polity^  and  religion  of  the  Israelites. 


PREFACE. 


7 


It  is  an  excellent  introduction  to  the  reading 
of  the  Old  Testament,  and  should  be  put 
into  the  hands  of  every  young  person."  (DîV 
courseSyYo].  L) 

This  recommendation  will  have  its  due 
weight  both  with  the  learned  and  the  pious. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


The  former  edition  of  this  work  has  been 
received  by  the  Briti.çh  pubUc,  with  such  flatter- 
ing marks  of  approbation  as  are  highly  honour- 
able to  the  memory  of  its  excellent  author.  In  no 
common  case  has  the  public  opinion  been 
more  correctly  formed,  nor  more  unequivocally 
expressed.  The  editor  too  has  had  his  share 
of  the  public  approbation;  and  takes  this  oppor- 
tunity of  acknowledging  his  grateful  sense  of 
the  praise  bestowed  on  his  part  of  the  work. 
Act^tecf  solely  by  the  desire  of  doing  good  to 
his  co^^trymen,  and  especially  to  the  plain 
unlettered  Christian,  he  undertook  a  work 
frorp-^hich  he  neiiher  expected  nor  received  any 
kind  of  emolument,  lie  has,  however,  been 
amply  rewarded  by  the  satisfactory  conscious- 
ness of  having  endeavoured  to  promote  the 
study  of  those  living  oracles  which  testify 
of  Jesus,  and  the  conviction  that  his  labour  has 
been  crowned  with  success. 

When  he  found,  from  the  rapid  sale  of  the 
first,  that  a  second  edition  would  soon  be  called 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


9 


for,  believing  the  work  susceptible  of  still  far- 
ther improvements,  and  consequently  of  being 
more  useful  to  the  public,  he  determined  to 
spare  no  pains  to  render  it  fully  worthy  of  that 
patronage,  by  which  it  has  been  already  so 
highly  favoured.  Having  now  accomplished 
his  design,  as  far  as  circumstances  would 
permit,  he  thinks  it  proper  to  inform  the  reader 
what  has  been  done,  in  order  to  furnish  him 
with  additional  pleasure  and  instruction. 

1.  The  translation  has  been  collated  wiîh 
three  copies  of  the  original  :  the  first  edition^ 
published  by  the  Abbe,  Paris,  1681,  12mo. 
The  Paris  edition  of  1736,  12mo,  with  addi- 
tional references;  and  that  in  the  Opuscules 
de  M.  L'Mhe  Fleiiry,  tome  i,  à  Msmes,  1780,  5 
vols.  8vo.  This  collation  has  given  rise  to  in- 
numerable alterations  and  improvements  of  the 
translation. 

2.  The  references  not  only  to  the  Scriptures, 
but  also  to  the  Greek  and  Latin  writers,  have 
been  collated  with  the  authors  themselves,  and 
a  multitude  of  errors  have  been  corrected  which 
had  been  increasing  with  every  edition  of  the 
work. 

3.  To  render  these  references  more  service- 
able to  the  reader,  many  of  them  have  been 
produced  at  full  length,  accon)panied  with  an 

.  2 


10 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


English  translation,  where  the  matter  appeared 
to  be  of  considerable  importance. 

4.  A  great  variety  of  notes  have  been  added 
to  illustrate  and  confirm  what  is  advanced  in  the 
text,  and  to  make  the  meaning  more  easy  to  be 
understood. 

5.  Some  supplementary  chapters  have  been 
inserted,  viz  :  On  the  Hebrew  Poetry, — Instru^ 
merits  of  Music  among  the  ancient  Hebrevjs. — 
Hindoo  and  JVIohammedan  fasts^  purifications, 
&c,  to  illustrate  those  of  "the  ancient  Jews. — 
A  short  History  of  the  ancient  and  modern 
Samaritans,  which  was  certainly  a  desideratum 
in  the  former  editions,  together  with  a  short 
sketch  of  the  present  state  of  the  Jews,  and  a 
copy  of  their  ancient  Liturgy, 

6.  To  the  w^ork  a  Life  of  the  Author  is  pre- 
fixed, which  had  not  been  done  in  the  former  Eng- 
lish editions,  and  which,  though  short,  will,  it  is 
hoped,  serve  to  bring  the  reader  more  particu- 
larly acquainted  with  the  amiable  spirit  of  this 
excellent  man. 

On  the  whole,  the  editor  hopes  the  work  will 
«ow  more  effectually  answer  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  formed,  viz  :  to  render  the  study 
of  the  Bible  improving  and  delightful  ;  and  thus 
especially  to  the  young  and  inexperienced, 
prove  an  antidote  against  Deism,  irréligion^ 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


11 


and  impiety  of  all  sorts.  For  he  thinks  it 
would  be  impossible  even  for  a  prejudiced  mind 
to  read  over  the  history  of  this  ancient  people, 
and  compare  their  political  and  ecclesiastical 
state  with  that  of  any  other  nation  upon  earth, 
without  being  convinced  that  they  had  sta- 
tutes and  judgments  such  as  no  other  people 
could  boast  of,  and  such  as  the  human  mind 
could  never  have  devised  for  itself  :  in  short, 
that  God  was  among  them  of  a  truth,  and  that 
they  were  the  people  of  his  pasture,  and  the 
sheep  of  his  hand. 

N.  B,  The  notes  which  I  have  borrowed  from  Mr. 
Farneworth,  I  have  marked  with  E.  F. 


SHORT  ACCOUNT 
OF  THE  LIFE  AND  WRITINGS  OF  THE 
ABBE  FLEURY. 


Those  who  have  profited  by  the  works  of 
the  learned  and  pious,  naturally  wish  to  know 
who  the  persons  were  from  whom  they  have  re- 
ceived so  much  instruction  ;  and  £u*e  glad  to 
meet  with  any  account  of  lives,  which  they  know 
must  have  been  spent  not  only  innocently  but 
usefully.  This  disposition,  so  natural  to  man, 
has  been  deeply  studied  by  the  inspired  writers; 
hence  their  works  abound  with  biography  and 
biographical  anecdotes  ;  and  thus  truth  teaches 
not  only  by  precept,  but  also  by  example,  and 
hereby  seems  to  assume  a  body  and  render  it- 
self palpable.  Of  the  Abbe  Fleury  I  have  been 
able  to  meet  with  few  anecdotes  which  can  be 
particularly  interesting  to  the  pious  reader,  as 
most  accounts  which  have  been  hitherto  pub- 
lished of  him  relate  chiefly  to  his  literary  his- 
tory. The  following  memoirs  which  I  have 
collected  from  the  most  authentic  sources,  are, 
I  must  confess,  very  scanty,  but  they  are  such 
as  cannot  fail  to  give  some  pleasure  to  those 
who  are  admirers  of  the  immortal  work  to  which 
they  are  prefixed. 


14 


SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


Claude  Fleury,  in  Latin,  Claudius  Florus^ 
was  born  at  Paris,  Dec.  6,  1640.  He  was  son 
of  a  lawyer,  originally  of  the  diocess  of  Rouen, 
and  was  brought  up  to  the  bar.  In  1658,  he 
was  received  advocate  to  the  parliament  in 
Paris,  in  which  employment  he  continued  for 
nine  years,  devoting  all  his  time  to  the  study  of 
jurisprudence  and  the  belles  lettres,  in  which 
he  made  uncommon  proficiency.  This  kind  of 
life  not  entirely  suiting  his  natural  inclination, 
which  was  gentle,  peaceable,  and  benevolent, 
he  abandoned  it,  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  theology,  entered  into  the  ecclesiastical 
state,  and,  soon  arrived  at  the  order  of  priest- 
hood. 

From  this  time  he  devoted  himself  solely  to 
the  study  of  the  Sacred  Writings,  divinity,  ec- 
clesiastical history,  the  canon  law,  and  the 
works  of  the  fathers.  He  confined  himself,  for 
a  considerable  time,  to  these  studies  a/one,  from 
a  persuasion  that  they  were  most  suitable  to  his 
clerical  functions,  and  that  a  more  extensive 
range  in  the  sciences,  by  diffusing  the  attention 
too  much,  must  render  the  judgment  and  under- 
standing less  profound. 

His  deep  piety  and  solid  learning  gained  him 
great  reputation  :  and  Lewis  XIV,  who  was 
well  qualified  to  discern  great  and  useful  ta- 
lents, and  well  knew  how  to  employ  them,  made 
him  preceptor  to  the  princes  of  Conii  in  1762, 
whom  he  caused  to  be  educated  with  the  dau- 
phin his  son.  These  princes  were  Lewis  Ar- 
mandy  and  Francis  Lewis ^  son  of  Armand  de 


THE  ABBE  FLEURY. 


15 


Bourbon,,  prince  of  Conti,  and  chief  of  that 
illustrious  family. 

The  fidelity  and  accuracy  with  which  this 
amiable  man  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office 
in  this  important  business,  procured  him  another 
pupil  from  the  royal  family  ;  for  in  1680  the 
king  made  him  preceptor  to  the  prince  de  Ver- 
mandois,  admiral  of  France,  one  of  his  legiti- 
mated natural  sons  ;  but  this  prince  died  in  1683. 

In  1684,  the  king,  highly  pleased  with  his  fi- 
delity and  success  in  the  office  of  preceptor  to 
the  princes,  gave  him  the  abby  of  Loc-DieUy  in 
the  diocess  of  Rhodes  :  and  in  1689,  he  ap- 
pointed him  subpreceptor  to  his  three  grand- 
children, Lewis,  duke  of  Burgundy;  Philip, 
duke  of  Anjou  ;  and  Charles,  duke  of  Berri^ 
sons  of  the  dauphin.  In  this  important  em- 
ployment he  was  associated  with  that  most  ac- 
complished scholar  and  most  amiable  of  men, 
Monsieur  Fenelon^  afterward  archbishop  of 
Cambray.  Like  his  assistant,  the  Abbe  Fleury 
had  the  happy  art  of  rendering  virtue  amiable 
by  connecting  delight  with  instruction,  and  of 
making  the  precepts  of  religion  pleasant  by  ex- 
emplifying them  in  a  placid,  steady,  and  upright 
conduct.  Thua  precept  and  example  went 
hand  in  hand,  and  mutually  supported  each 
other.  Never  had  pupils  greater  advantages  ; 
and  never  were  teachers  more  revered  by  their 
pupils.  Lewis,  duke  of  Burgundy,  became 
dauphin,  April  14,  1711,  and  died  Feb.  18, 
1712.  PhiUp,  duke  of  Anjou,  became  king  of 
Spain  in  1700,  with  the  title  of  Philip  V. 


16 


SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


In  169Ô  the  French  academy  chose  him  for 
one  of  its  forty  members  :  the  highest  literary 
honour  in  France.  A  choice  due  to  the  merit 
of  Abbe  Fleury,  and  which  was  at  the  same 
time  an  honour  to  the  academy  itself. 

The  studies  of  the  three  princes  being  ended 
in  1706,  the  king,  who  knew  as  well  how  to  re- 
ward merit  as  to  distinguish  it,  presented  him 
with  the  priory  of  JSTotre  Dame  d^JlrgenteuiU  in 
the  diocess  of  Paris  :  but  this  learned  and  con- 
scientious man,  an  exact  observer  of  the  ca- 
nons, (which  indeed  he  had  made  a  particular 
object  of  study,)  gave  a  rare  example  of  disin- 
terestedness in  delivering  up  into  the  hands  of 
the  king  the  abby  of  Loc-Dieu,  which  he  re- 
fused to  hold  in  conjunction  with  his  priory! 
An  example,  which  in  the  present  day  we  may 
hope  in  vain  to  find,  as  sinecures  and  pluralities 
are  sought  after  with  an  extreme  avidity,  every 
one  seeking  his  gain  from  his  own  quarter,  and 
never  saying  in  his  heart,  it  is  enough. 

In  1716  the  duke  of  Orleans,  regent  of  the 
kingdom,  made  him  confessor  to  the  young 
king,  Lewis  XV,  son  to  the  duke  of  Burgundy. 
In  this  important  employment  he  continued  till 
1722,  when  his  age  and  infirmities  obliged  him 
to  give  it  up.  Had  it  not  been  well  known  that 
the  Abbe  had  executed  the  office  of  preceptor 
to  the  father  with  the  strictest  zeal  and  integ- 
rity, we  may  rest  assured  that  he  never  would 
have  been  entrusted  with  the  dearest  interests  of 
the  son,  and  indeed  those  of  the  whole  French 
l)ation.    This  was  the  highest  eulogium  that 


THE  ABBE  FLEURY. 


17 


could  possibly  be  given  of  the  merit  of  this  ex- 
traordinary man.  For  many  years  he  had  been 
in  the  very  high  road  to  preferment,  but  his  dead- 
ness  to  the  world  induced  him  steadily  to  avoid 
any  farther  advancement  ;  and  being  completely 
satisfied  with  his  priory,  he  refused  to  have  any 
thing  in  addition. 

Though  he  lived  in  the  midst  of  a  court  where 
pleasure  reigned,  and  rational  devotion  to  God 
was  unfashionable  ;  yet  he  steadily  pursued  his 
course,  and  Uved  in  the  centre  of  fashion  and 
folly,  as  if  he  had  been  in  the  inmost  recesses 
of  a  cell,  constantly  refusing  the  slightest  com- 
pliance with  any  thing  that  was  not  conformed 
to  the  purest  principles  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Having  spent  a  long  life  in  exemplary  piety, 
and  laborious  usefulness,  he  died  of  an  apo- 
plexy, July  14,  1723,  in  the  eighty-third  year 
of  his  age. 

On  his  death  several  of  the  academicians  sig- 
nahzed  themselves  by  eulogiums  to  his  memo- 
ry: a  few  extracts  from  which  will  show  in 
what  estimation  he  was  held  by  that  learned 
body.  Mr,  Mam,  who  was  chosen  to  succeed 
him  in  the  academy,  speaks  of  him  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms  in  his  inaugural  discourse,  de- 
livered before  that  august  assembly,  Dec.  2, 
1723  :— 

"Where  shall  we  find  so  many  inestimable 
qualities  united  in  one  person  ?  An  excellent 
understanding  cultivated  with  intense  labour; 
profound  knowledge  ;  a  heart  full  of  uprightness  : 
not  onljr  innocent  in  his  manners,  but  leading 


18 


SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


a  simple,  laborious,  and  edifying  life,  always  ac- 
companied with  sincere  modesty  :  an  admirable 
disinterestedness,  an  unfailing  regularity  of  con- 
duct, and  perfect  fidelity  in  the  performance  of 
his  duty  ;  in  a  word,  an  assemblage  of  all  those 
talents  and  virtues  which  constitute  the  scho- 
lar, the  honest  man,  and  the  Christian." 

In  answer  to  Mr,  Adarn^  the  Abbe  de  Ro- 
quette spoke  of  this  great  man  in  the  same  high 
strain  of  justly  merited  panegyric.  "  We  shall 
always  deplore  the  loss  of  our  late  pious,  learn- 
ed, and  illustrious  associate.  Nothing  can  ob- 
literate the  strong  impression  which  his  virtues 
have  made  on  our  minds.  Candour,  uprightness, 
affability,  meekness,  and  strict  probity  seemed 
to  constitute  the  very  essence  of  his  souL  Na- 
ture had  lavished  her  choicest  talents  on  his 
mind  ;  and  study  had  put  him  in  possession  of 
the  riches  of  knowledge.  In  him  a  solid  judg- 
ment was  combined  with  profound  penetration. 
An  exquisite  taste  in  every  department  of  litera- 
ture, with  a  vast  and  retentive  memory  :  and  a 
fertile  genius,  with  an  indefatigable  ardour  for 
appUcation.  To  these  gifts  of  nature  let  us 
add  those  which  he  received  from  grace  :  a 
sincere  and  intelligent  piety  ;  an  ardent  and  in- 
satiable thirst  after  truth  ;  an  unbounded  love 
to  mankind,  and  the  most  scrupulous  fidelity  in 
the  discharge  of  every  duty  imposed  by  religion; 
a  contempt  of  honour,  and  detachment  from  pe- 
rishing riches,  the  love  of  solitude  even  in  the 
midst  of  the  pomps  of  a  court;  and  to  sum  up 
the  whole,  a  pure,  exemplary,  and  irreproach- 


THE  ABBE  FLEURY* 


19 


able  life."  Such  truly  was  the  Abbe  Fleury, 
and  such  the  serious  reader  will  perceive  him 
to  be  in  every  page  of  the  following  inestimable 
work. 

Beside  the  "  Manners  of  the  Israelites,"  and 
the  "  Manners  of  the  primitive  Christians,"  the 
Abbe  Fleury  pubhshed  many  other  works,  the 
principal  of  which  is  his  Ecclesiastical  History  y 
20  vols.  12mo,  or  13  4to,  the  first  volume  of 
which  was  published  in  1691,  and  the  last  in 
1722  :  it  takes  in  the  history  of  the  Church  from 
the  birth  of  our  Lord  to  the  year  1414.  The 
author  designed  to  have  brought  it  down  to  his 
own  times,  but  was  prevented  by  his  death, 
which  took  place  the  following  year.  It  was 
long  well  received  by  the  public,  and  is  in  ge- 
neral a  truly  excellent  work,  but  it  is  now  be- 
come almost  obsolete,  the  public  having  decided 
in  favour  of  similar  works,  perhaps  a  little  more 
accurate  in  some  dates  and  facts,  but  much 
less  spiritual,  and  consequently  better  adapted 
to  the  depraved  reigning  taste  of  the  times. 
His  Historical  Catechism,,  published  first  in 
1683,  12mo,  is  also  a  very  valuable  work:  it 
has  gone  through  various  editions,  and  has  been 
translated  into  several  languages.  All  his 
smaller  works,  which  contain  about  forty  differ- 
ent treatises,  have  been  collected  into  5  vols» 
8vo,  and  published  at  Nismes,  1780,  under  the 
title.  Opuscules  de  JVf.  L^Abbe  Prieur  d^Jirgen- 
teuil,  et  confesseur  de  Roi  Louis  XV.  This  edi- 
tion was  printed  to  accompany  a  new  edition  of 
the  Ecclesiastical  History,  published  at  the  same 


20 


SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


place  in  25  vols.  8vo.  Great,  pious,  and  use- 
ful as  the  Abbe  Fleury  was  in  his  life,  his  name 
would  have  long  since  been  extinct,  had  he  left 
no  writings  behind  him  :  by  these  his  memory 
has  been  embalmed,  and  his  fame  is  become 
imperishable.  Every  new  edition  is,  so  to 
speak,  a  resurrection  of  this  learned  and  pious 
man  ;  and  by  the  diffusion  of  his  works,  he  who 
was  during  his  life  time  necessarily  confined  in 
courts  among  the  great,  becomes  introduced  to 
every  department  of  society,  teaching  piety  to 
God  and  benevolence  to  men  by  his  most  ex- 
cellent precepts  and  amiable  spirit.  It  is  to  be 
lamented  that  no  account  has  been  given  to  the 
public  of  the  rehgious  experience  of  this  emi- 
nent man,  nor  of  his  last  moments.  As  his  life 
was  holy  and  useful,  his  end  must  have  been 
peace  :  thus  far  we  may  safely  conjecture. 

The  testimonies  of  his  contemporaries  speak 
much  for  him  ;  and  his  unspotted  life  confirms 
all  that  his  warmest  friends  have  said  of  his 
sincere  and  unafiected  piety.  His  religion  was 
such  as  to  emit  a  steady  and  brilliant  light  in 
the  midst  of  a  court  which  at  that  time  had  at- 
tained the  acme  of  worldly  glory.  Yet  even 
there  the  man  of  God  was  distinguished,  and 
all  were  obliged  to  own  that  the  glory  of  that 
kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world,  infinitely 
exceeds  all  the  splendours  which  can  possibly 
adorn  the  most  illustrious  kingdoms  of  the  uni- 
verse. Reader,  give  God  the  glory  due  to  his 
name  for  the  light  which  in  his  eternal  mercy 
he  has  caused  to  shine  in  a  dark  j^if^cCf  as  a 


THE   ABBE  FLEURY. 


2Î 


testimony  to  his  power  and  goodness  :  and  lei 
this  example  encourage  thee  to  confess  thy 
Lord  amidst  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation, 
among  whom,  if  thou  be  not  wanting  to  thyself^ 
thou  mayest  shine  as  a  light  in  the  world. 
Manchester,  Dec.  12,  1804. 


4 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


PART  I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Design  of  this  Treatise. 

The  people,  whom  God  chose  to  preserve 
the  true  rehgioii  till  the  promulgation  of  the 
Gospel,  are  an  excellent  model  of  that  way  of 
living,  which  is  most  conformable  to  nature. 
We  see  in  their  customs  the  most  rational  me- 
thod of  subsisting,  employing  one's  self,  and 
living  in  society  ;  and  from  thence  may  learn, 
not  only  lessons  of  morality,  but  rules  for  our 
conduct  both  in  public  and  private  life. 

Yet  these  customs  are  so  different  from  our 
own  that  at  first  sight  they  offend  us.  We  do 
not  see,  among  the  Israelites,  those  titles  of 
nobility,  that,  multitude  of  employments,  or 
diversity  of  conditions,  which  are  to  be  found 
among  us.  They  are  only  husbandmen  and 
shepherds,  all  working  with  their  own  hands, 
all  married,  and  looking  upon  a  great^ number 
of  children  as  the  most  valuable  blessing.  The 
distinction  of  meats,  of  clean  and  unclean  ani- 
mals, with  their  frequent  purifications,  seem  to 
us  as  so  many  troublesome  ceremonies  :  and 
their  bloody  sacrifices  quite  disgust  us.  We 


24         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


observe,  moreover,  that  these  people  were 
prone  to  idolatry,  and,  for  that  reason,  are  often 
reproached  in  Scripture  for  their  perverseness 
and  hardness  of  heart  ;  and,  by  the  fathers  of 
the  Church,  for  being  stupid  and  carnally  mind- 
ed. All  this,  joined  to  a  general  prejudice,  that 
what  is  most  ancient  is  always  most  imperfect, 
easily  influences  us  to  believe,  that  these  men 
were  brutish  8^nd  ignorant,  and  their  customs 
more  worthy  of  contempt  than  admiration.* 

And  this  is  one  reason  why  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, especially  those  of  the  Old  Testament, 
are  so  much  neglected,  or  read  to  so  little  pur- 
pose. Several  well-meaning  people,  who  have 
not  quite  got  over  such  prejudices,  are  discou- 
raged by  the  outward  appearance  of  these 
strange  customs  ;  and  either  impute  the  whole,* 
without  distinction,  to  the  imperfection  of  the 
old  law  ;  or  imagine  that  some  mysteries,  be- 
yond their  comprehension,  are  concealed  under 
these  external  appearances.  Others,  for  want 
of  faith,  or  uprightness  of  heart,  are  tempted, 
upon  such  pretences,  to  despise  the  Scripture 

*  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  prove,  that  the  major 
part,  if  not  the  whole  of  the  animals,  the  eating  of 
whose  flesh  was  forbidden  under  the  Mosaic  law,  arc 
unfit  for  the  purposes  of  nutrition.  Blood,  which  is  so 
often  and  so  soleninly  forbidden,  affords  a  most  gross 
and  innutritive  aliment.  The  laws  relative  to  lepers 
and  other  infected  persons,  and  those  which  forbade 
contact  with  dead  or  putrid  carcasses,  were  wisely  or- 
dered to  prevent  tlic  reception  and  dilfusion  of  conta-f 
gion.  Their  frequent  washings  and  bailiin<^;s  alsOj^iad 
the  most  direct  tendency  to  promoLc  health  andrCnsurc 
a  long  and  comfortable  life. 


DESIGN  or  THIS  TREATISE.  25 


itself,  as  full  of  mean  and  trivial  matters  ;  or 
draw  wrong  conclusions  from  it  to  countenance 
their  own  vices. 

But,  upon  comparing  the  manners  of  the 
Israelites  with  those  of  the  Romans,  Greeks, 
Egyptians,  and  other  people  of  former  ages, 
which  we  hold  in  the  highest  veneration,  these 
prejudices  soon  vanish.  We  observe  a  noble 
simplicity  in  them,  greatly  preferable  to  all 
refinements  ;  that  the  Israelites  had  every  thing 
that  was  valuable  in  the  customs  of  their  con- 
temporaries, without  many  of  their  defects,  and 
a  great  advantage  over  them  in  understanding 
(what  ought  to  be  our  chief  aim  in  this  life) 
the  nature  of  that  true  religion,  which  is 
the  foundation  of  morality. 

We  must  learn  then  to  distinguish  what  is 
only  offensive  to  us  in  their  customs,  from  what 
is  really  blameworthy  ;  what  we  do  not  like 
upon  account  of  the  distance  of  times  and 
places,  though  it  be  in  itself  indifferent,  from 
that  which,  being  good  in  itself,  displeases  us  for 
no  other  reason  than  because  we  are  corrupt  in 
our  manners.  For,  most  of  the  difference  be- 
tween us  and  them  does  not  proceed  from  our 
being  more  enlightened  by  Christianity,  but 
from  our  being  less  guided  by  reason.  The 
Christian  religion  did  not  introduce  this  grefit 
inequality  of  conditions,  this  disdain  of  labour, 
this  eagerness  for  diversions,  this  authority  of 
women  and  young  people,  this  aversion  from  a 
simple  and  frugal  hfe,  which  make  us  differ  so 
much  from  the  ancients.  It  would  have  been  / 
3 


26  MANNERS  OF   THE  ISRAELITES. 


much  easier  to  have  made  good  Christians  of 
those  shepherds  and  ploughmen,  which  we  see 
in  their  history,  than  of  our  courtiers,  lawyers, 
or  farmers  of  the  revenue,  and  many  others  that 
spend  their  lives  in  an  idle  and  discontented 
poverty. 

Let  it  be  observed,  that  I  do  not  pretend  to 
make  a  panegyric  upon  this  people  ;  but  to 
give  a  very  plain  account,  like  that  of  travellers, 
who  have  seen  far  distant  countries:  I  shalt 
describe  what  is  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  just 
as  it  is,  and  only  desire  the  reader  to  divest 
himself  of  all  prejudice,  that  he  may  judge  of 
these  customs  by  good  sense  and  right  reason 
alone  ;  to  discard  the  ideas  that  are  peculiar  to 
his  own  age  and  country,  and  consider  the 
Israelites  in  the  circumstances  of  time  and 
place  wherein  they  lived  ;  to  compare  them 
with  their  nearest  neighbours,  and  by  that 
means  to  enter  into  their  spirit  and  maxims.—^ 
We  must  indeed  be  entire  strangers  to  history, 
not  to  see  the  great  difference  which  distance 
of  time  and  place  occasions  in  people's  man- 
ners. We  inhabit  the  same  country  which  the 
ancient  Britons,  and  afterward  the  Romans, 
dwelt  in  :  and  yet  how  much  do  we  vary  from 
both  in  their  way  of  living  ;  nay,  even  from 
that  of  our  own  countrymen,  who  lived  seven 
or  eight  hundred  years  ago       And  aJt  present, 

+  Who  would  imagine  ihwi  the  prepenl  inhabitants 
of  Great  Britain,  who  spend  so  much  time  çind  money 
in  unmeaning,  useless,  and  ridiculous  modes  of  dressj 
are  the  descendants  of  a  race  of  people,  wiiô,  in  th*^ 


DESIGN  OF  THIS  TREATISE.  27 


what  likeness  is  there  between  our  customs  and 
those  of  the  Turks,  Indians,  and  Chinese  î  If 
then,  we  consider  these  two  sorts  of  distance 
together,  we  shall  be  so  far  from  being  asto- 
nished that  they  who  lived  in  Palestine  three 
thousand  years  ago,  had  customs  different  from 
ours,  that  w  e  shall  rather  wonder  if  we  find  any 
thing  in  them  alike. 

We  must  not  imagine,  however,  that  these 
changes  are  regular,  and  always  come  on  in 
the  same  space  of  time.  Countries  that  are 
very  near  each  other  often  differ  widely  in  their 
religion  and  politics  ;  as,  at  this  day,  Spain  and 
Africa,  which,  under  the  Roman  empire,  had 
the  same  customs.  On  the  contrary,  there  is 
'iow  a  great  resemblance  between  those  of 
Spain  and  Germany,  though  there  was  then 
none.  The  same  holds  good  in  respect  to  the 
difference  of  times.  They  that  are  not  acquaint- 
ed with  history,  having  heard  it  said,  that  the 
people  of  former  ages  were  more  simple  than 
we,  suppose  the  world  is  always  growing  more 
polite  ;  and  that  the  farther  any  one  looks  back 
into  antiquity,  the  more  stupid  and  ignorant  he 
will  find^mankind  to  have  been. 

But  it  is  not  really  so  in  countries  that  have 
been  inhabited  successively  by  different  people  : 
the  revolutions  that  have  happened  there  have 

very  sarme  climate  and  land,  went  almost  naked,  not 
only  during  the  scorching  heats  of  summer,  but  also 
through  the  chill  in  <2;  blasts  of  winter?  And  yet,  were 
more  liealthy,  vigorous  and  robust  than  their  present 
«legfnerate  offspring. 


/ 


28         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

always,  from  time  to  time,  introduced  misery 
and  ignorance,  after  prosperity  and  good  man- 
ners. So,  Italy  is  now  in  a  much  better  con- 
dition than  it  was  eight  hundred  years  ago. — 
But  eight  hundred  years  before  that,  under  the 
first  Cesars,  it  was  happier,  and  in  a  more 
prosperous  state  than  it  is  at  present.  It  is 
true,  if  we  go  back  eight  hundred  years  more, 
near  the  time  that  Rome  was  founded,  the 
same  Italy  will  appear  much  poorer  and  less 
polished,  though  at  that  time  very  populous  : 
and  still  the  higher  we  ascend,  it  will  seem 
more  wretched  and  uncultivated.  Nations 
have  thoir  periods  of  duration,  like  particular 
men.  The  most  flourishing  state  of  the 
Greeks  was  under  Mexancler  ;  of  the  Romans, 
under  Augustus  ;  and  of  the  Israelites,  under 
Solomon. 

We  ought,  therefore,  to  distinguish  in  every 
people,  their  beginning,  their  greatest  prosperi- 
ty, and  their  declension.  In  this  manner  I  shall 
consider  the  Israehtes,  during  all  that  space  of 
time  that  they  were  a  people,  from  the  calhng 
of  Abraham,  to  the  last  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem. It  contains  more  than  two  thousand 
years,  which  I  shall  divide  into  three  periods, 
according  to  the  three  different  states  of  this 
people.  The  first,  of  the  patriarchs;  the 
second,  of  the  Israelites,  from  their  going  out  of 
Egypt  to  the  Babylonish  captivity;  and  the 
third,  of  the  Jews,  after  they  returned  from 
captivity,  to  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel. 


OF  THE  PATRIARCHS. 


29 


CHAPTER  IT. 
Of  the  Patriarchs^— Their  Nobility. 

The  patriarchs  lived  after  a  noble  manner, 
in  perfect  freedom  and  great  plenty,  notwith- 
standing their  way  of  living  was  plain  and  labo- 
rious. Abraham  knew  the  whole  succession 
of  his  ancestors,  and  no  way  lessened  his  nobi- 
lity, since  he  married  into  his  own  family.  He 
took  care  to  provide  a  wife  of  the  same  race 
for  his  son,  in  whom  were  fulfilled  all  the  pro- 
mises that  God  had  made  to  him  :  and  Isaac 
taught  Jacob  to  observe  the  same  law. 

The  long  lives  of  the  fathers  gave  them  an 
opportunity  of  educating  their  children  well, 
and  of  making  them  serious  and  considerate 
betimes.  Abraham  lived  more  than  a  hundred 
years  with  Shem,  and  no  doubt  learned  from 

*  Patriarch,  from  the  Greek  irarpiapx^ih  which  literal- 
ly signifies  the  chief  or  head  of  a  family.  The  term  is 
applied  properly  to  the  progenitors  of  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple, and  especially  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and 
the  twelve  sons  of  the  latter.  The  patriarchal  govern- 
ment existed  in  the  fathers  of  families  and  their  first- 
born sons  after  them,  and  included  the  regal  and  sacer- 
dotal  authority  ;  and  not  unfrequently  the  prophetic. — 
This  authority,  which  every  first-born  son  exercised 
over  all  the  widely  extended  branches  of  a  numerous 
family,  is  termed  in  Scripture  the  birth-right.  The  pa- 
triarchal dispensation  includes  all  the  time  from  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world,  till  thde  giving  of  the  law.  The  patri- 
archs are  divided  into  classes,  the  antediluvian  and  post" 
dUuvian  :  to  the  former  belong  Adam,  Seth,  Enoch,  &c* 
To  the  latter  Abram,  Isaac,  Jacob,  &c. 


30         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


him  the  state  of  the  world  before  the  deluge^,. 
He  never  left  his  father,  Terah,  and  was  aê 
least  seventy  years  old  when  he  lost  him. — 
Isaac  was  seventy-five  when  Abraham  died, 
and,  as  far  as  we  know,  never  went  from  him 
all  that  time.*  It  is  the  same  with  respect  to 
the  other  patriarchs.  Living  so  long  with 
their  fathers,  they  had  the  benefit  of  their 
experience  and  inventions.  They  prosecuted 
their  designs,  adhered  firmly  to  their  maxims, 
and  became  constant  and  uniform  in  their  con- 
duct. For  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  change 
what  had  been  settled  by  men  who  were  still 
alive  ;  especially  as  the  old  men  kept  up  their 
authority,  not  only  over  the  youth,  but  also  the 
elders  that  were  not  so  old  as  themselves. 

The  remembrance  of  things  past  might  be 
easily  preserved  by  the  bare  relation  of  old  men, 
who  naturally  love  to  tell  stories  of  ancient  - 
times,  and  had  so  much  leisure  for  it.  By  this 
means  they  had  no  great  use  for  wrifing  ;  and  • 
it  is  certain  we  find  no  mention  of  it  before 
Moses.  However  difficult  it  may  seem  to 
conceive  that  so  many  calculations  as  he  recites 
should  have  been  preserved  in  the  memory  of 
men,  as  the  age  of  all  the  patriarchs.  Gen.  v  ;  the 

*  The  author  follows  here  the  chronology  of  Arch- 
bishop Usher,  who  supposes  that  Shem  did  not  die  till 
150  years  after  the  birth  of  Abraham.  But  Usher 
leaves  the  second  Cainan  out  of  his  chronology,  whom 
the  Septuagint  and  St.  Luke  place  between  Arphaxad 
and  Salah.  This  second  Cainan  throws  the  birth  o£' 
Abraham  much  farther  back. 


OF   THE  PATRIARCHS. 


exact  dates  af  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
flood,  Gen,  vii,  11  ;  viii,  13;  the  dimensions 
of  the  ark.  Gen.  vi,  15,  &c  ;  yet  there  is  no  ne- 
cessity for  recurring  to  miracle  and  revelation. 
For  it  is  probable  that  writing  was  found  out 
before  the  deluge  :  as  we  are  sure  musical 
instruments  were^  though  not  so  necessary, 
Gen.  iv,  21.  But  though  Moses  might  have 
learned,  in  the  common  way,  most  of  the  facts 
which  he  has  written,  I  believe,  nevertheless, 
that  he  was  influenced  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
record  these  facts,  rather  than  others,  and 
express  them  in  terms  most  proper  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

Beside,  the  patriarchs  took  care  to  preserve 
the  memory  of  considerable  events  by  setting 
up  altars  and  pillars  and  other  lasting  monuments. 
Thus  Abraham  erected  altars  in  the  diflerent 
places  where  God  had  appeared  to  him,  Gen.  xii, 
8  ;  xiii,  18  ;  Jacob  consecrated  the  stone  which 
served  him  for  a  pillow  while  he  had  the  myste- 
rious dream  of  the  ladder,  Gen.  xxviii,  18  ;  and 
the  heap  of  stones  which  was  witness  to  his 
covenant  with  Laban,  he  called  Galeed,  Gen. 
xxxi,  48.  Of  this  kind  was  the  sepulchre  of 
Rachel  ;  the  well  called  Beersheba,  Gen.  xxvi, 
33  ;  and  all  the  other  wells  mentioned  in  the  his- 
tory of  Isaac.  Sometimes  they  gave  new 
names  to  places.  The  Greeks  and  Romans 
relate  the  same  of  their  heroes,  the  eldest  of 
whom  lived  near  the  times  of  the  patriarchs, 
Pausan.  passim.  Dion.  Hal.  lib.  i.  Greece 
was  full  of  their  monuments  :  JEneas,  to  men- 


32  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISilAELIT£S, 


ti6n  no  others,  left  some  in  every  place  that  he 
passed  through  in  Greece,  Sicily,  and  Italy, 
{Viro'lL  JE n,  passim,) 

The  very  names  of  the  patriarchs  were  be- 
side a  sort  of  more  simple  and  familiar  monu- 
ments. They  signified  some  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance of  their  birth,  or  particular  favour 
received  from  God.  So  they  were  in  effect  a 
short  history.^  For  they  took  care  to  explain 
the  reason  of  these  names  to  their  children,  and 
it  was  hardly  possible  to  pronounce  them  with- 
out refreshing  the  memory  with  it.  This  care 
for  posterity^  and  providence  for  the  future,  w^as 
an  argument  of  true  generosity  and  greatness 
of  mind. 

The  patriarchs  enjoyed  perfect  freedom,  and 
their  family  was  a  little  state,  of  which  the 
father^ was,  in  manner,  king.     For  what  did 

*  Such,  for  instance,  as  Abram,  from  3X  ab,  a  father, 
and  on  "am,  high;  called  afterward  Abraham,  Dn"i3N  « 
father  of  multitudes;  the  n  being  inserted  before  D;  for  Dn 
ham,  is  a  contraction  of  pen  hamon,  a  multitude. 

Peleg,  from  :hQ  pala^,  he  divided  :  for  in  his  days, 
says  the  text,  Gen.  x,  25,  the  earth,  (r\}bQ}  nipilegah) 
was  divided, 

Manasses,  the  son  of  Joseph,  signifies  forgetting, 
from  nwi  nashah,  he  tvas  forgetfid,  for,  said  he,  Gen.  xli, 
51,  God  hath  made  me  forget,  nashshani)  allmij  la- 
bours, and  my  father^  s  house. 

Ephraim,  fruitful,  from  n-ii3  pharah,  he  lo as  fruitful  ; 
for,  said  Joseph  his  father,  inon  hiphrani,  God  hath 
made  me  fruitful  in  the  land  of  my  affliction.  Gen.  xli,  52. 

Joseph,  addition,  or  increase,  from  r|D^  Yasaph,  he 
added  or  increased;  because,  said  his  mother'  nin^  «iDP 
Yoseph  Jehovah,  the  L(yrd  shall  add  to  me  another  son, 
Gen.  XXX,  25. 


THEIR  RiCHES  AND  EJIPLOYMENTS. 


,33 


Abraham  want  of  the  power  of  sovereigns,  but 
their  vain  titles,  and  inconvenient  ceremonies  ? 
He  was  subject  to  nobody  ;  kings  concluded 
alliances  with  him  :  he  made  war  and  peace 
when  he  pleased.  Princes  sought  the  alliance 
of  Isaac,  Gen.  xxvi,  26,  28.  Ishmael,  Jacobs 
and  Esau,  were  likewise  independent.  We 
must  not  then  suffer  ourselves  to  be  misled  by 
names,  nor  think  Abfaham  inferior  to  Amraphel 
or  Abimelech,  because  the  Scripture  does  not 
call  him  king  as  well  as  them.  He  was  cer- 
tainly equal  to  one  of  those  four  kings,  whom 
he  defeated  with  his  domestic  forces,  and  the 
•  assistance  of  his  three  allies.  Gen.  xiv,  14,  15. 
The  greatest  difference  was  that  he  did  not  shut 
himself  up  within  walls  as  they  did,  and  that 
his  whole  family  followed  him  to  any  place 
whither  he  had  a  mind  to  move  his  tents.  All 
authentic  history  testifies  that  kingdoms  were 
very  small,  even  in  the  east,  at  that  time  of  day  ; 
and  we  find  them  so  in  other  countries  a  great 
while  after. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Their  Riches  and  Employments. 

The  riches  of  the  patriarchs  consisted  chiefîy 
in  cattle.  Abraham  must  have  had  a  vast 
stock,  when  he  was  obliged  to  part  from  his 
nephew,  Lot,  because  the  land  was  not  able  to 
bear  them  together,  Gen.  xiii,  6.    Jacob  had  a 


34  MANNERS  OF  TrfE  ISRAELITES. 


great  number  when  he  came  back  from  Meso-» 
potamia  ;  since  the  present  that  he  made  to  his 
brother  Esau  was  Jite  hundred  and  eighty  head 
of  different  sorts^  Gen.  xxxii,  13,  15.  From 
which  we  may  Hkewise  learn  what  sort  of  beasts 
they  bred,  viz  :  goats,  sheep,  camels,  horned 
cattle,  and  asses. 

There  were  no  horses  nor  swine  among 
Ihem.  It  was  such  plenty  of  cattle  which  made 
them  set  so  great  a  value  upon  wells  and  cis- 
terns, in  a  country  where  there  was  no  river  but 
Jordan,  and  rain  very  seldom. 

They  had  slaves  too  :  and  Abraham  must 
have  had  an  abundance  of  them,  since  he  armed 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  men  of  those  that 
were  born  in  his  house  and  trained  up  by  him- 
self. Gen.  xiv,  14.  In  proportion,  he  must  have 
had  plenty  of  children^  old  men^  ivomen^  and 
slaves  that  were  bought  with  money.  When  he 
returned  from  Egypt,  it  was  said  he  was 
rich  in  gold  and  silver.  Gen.  xiii,  2.  The 
bracelets  and  earrings,  which  his  servant  Eli^ 
ezer  made  a  present  of  to  Rebecca  from  his 
master,  weighed  six  ounces  of  gold^  Gen.  xxiv, 
22  ;  and  the  purchase  of  his  burying  place 
shows  that  money  was  in  use  at  that  time.  Gen. 
xxiii,  16.  We  see  likewise  that  perfumes  and 
costly  raiment  were  made  use  of*  by  Esau's 

*  Gen.  xxvii,  27.  But  does  not  this  rather  intimate 
that  odoriferous  plants  or  herbs,  wore  laid  up  with  the 
clothes  in  the  chests  or  coffers  where  they  were  kept  ? 
A  custom  that  prevails  among  the  inhabitants  of  some 
countries  to  the  present  day. 


THËIR  RICHES  AND  EMPLOYMENTS.  35 

clothes,  which  Jacob  wore  to  obtain  his  father's 
blessing. 

With  all  their  riches  they  were  very  labo- 
rious, always  in  the  field,  lying  under  tents, 
shifting  theiç^abode  according  to  the  conve- 
nience of  pasture,  and  consequently  often  taken 
up  with  encamping  and  decamping,  and  fre- 
quently upon  the  march  :  for  they  could  make 
but  short  days'  journeys  with  so  numerous  an 
attendance.  Not  but  that  they  might  have  built 
towns  as  w^ell  as  their  countrymen:  but  they 
chose  this  way  of  living.  It  was  without  doubt 
the  most  ancient,  since  it  is  easier  to  set  up 
tents  than  to  build  houses  ;  and  has  always 
been  reckoned  the  most  perfect,  as  attaching 
men  less  to  this  world.  Thus  the  condition  of 
the  patriarchs  is  best  represented,  who  lived 
here  only  as  sojourners  waiting  for  the  pro- 
mises of  God,  Heb.  xi,  9,  13,  which  were  not 
to  be  accomplished  till  after  their  death.  The 
first  cities  that  are  mentioned  were  built  by 
wicked  men.  Gen.  iv,  17.  Cain  and  Nimrod 
were  the  first  that  erected  walls  and  fortifica- 
tions  to  secure  themselves  from  the  punishmènt 
due  to  their  crimes,  and  to  give  them  an  oppor^ 
tunity  of  committing  fresh  ones  with  impunity. 
Gen.  X,  10.  Good  men  lived  in  the  open  air, 
having  nothing  to  make  them  afraid. 

The  chief  employment  of  the  patriarchs  was 
the  care  of  their  cattle  :  their  whole  history 
shows  it,  and  the  plain  account  which  the  sons 
of  Jacob  gave  (Tf  themselves  to  the  king  of 
Egypt,  Gen.  xlvii,  3.    Though  husbandry  bD 


36  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

very  ancient,  the  pastoral  life  is  the  more  per- 
fect. The  first  was  the  lot  of  Cain,  the  bro- 
ther of  Abel,  Gen.  iv,  2.  It  has  something  in 
it  more  simple  and  noble  ;  it  is  laborious,  at- 
taches one  less  to  the  world,  and  yet  more  pro- 
fitable. The  elder  Cato  {De  Re  Rustic,  in 
Init.)  preferred  a  stock  of  cattle,  though  but  a 
moderate  one,  to  tillage,  which  yet  he  thought 
better  than  any  other  way  of  improving  his 
fortune. 

The  just  reprimand  which  Jacob  gave  to 
Laban,  shows  that  the  patriarchs  laboured  hard 
at  their  work,  and  did  at  no  time  neglect  it  :  / 
have  served  thee  twenty  years,  says  he,  in  the  day 
the  drought  consumed  me,  and  the  frost  by  night, 
and  my  sleep  departed  from  mine  eyes,  Gen. 
xxxi,  40.  One  may  judge  of  the  men's  labo- 
rious way  of  living  by  that  of  the  young  wo- 
men. Rebecca  came  a  good  way  off  to  draw 
water,  and  carried  it  upon  her  shoulders,  Gen. 
xxiv,  15  ;  and  Rachel  herself  kept  her  father's 
flock.  Gen.  xxix,  9.  Neither  their  nobihty  nor 
beauty  made  them  so  delicate  as  to  scruple  it. 
This  primeval  simplicity  was  long  retained 
among  the  Greeks,  whose  good  breeding  we 
yet  admire  with  so  much  reason.  Homer  af- 
fords us  examples  of  it  throughout  his  works, 
and  pastorals  have  no  other  foundation.  It  is 
certain  that  in  Syria,  Greece,  and  Sicily,  there 
were  persons  of  eminence  who  made  it  their 
sole  occupation  to  breed  cattle  for  more  than 
one  thousand  five  hundred  years  after  the  pa- 
triarchs ;  and  who,  in  the  great  leisure  that  sort 


THEIR  FRUGALlTr. 


37 


of  life  afforded,  and  the  good  humour  those 
delightful  countries  inspired  them  with,  com- 
posed several  little  pieces  of  poetry,  still  extant, 
of  inimitable  b^ejiuty  and  simplicity. 

\- 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Their  Frugality. 

The  patriarchs  were  not  at  ail  nice  in  their 
eating  or  other  necessaries  of  life  ;  one  may 
judge  of  their  common  food  by  the  pottage  of 
lentiles  that  Jacob  had  prepared,  which  tempted 
Esau  to  sell  his  birthright.  Gen.  xxv,  29,  34. — 
But  we  have  an  instance  of  a  splendid  enter- 
tainment in  that  which  Abraham  made  for  the 
three  angels,  Gen.  xviii,  6.  He  set  a  calf 
before  them,  new  breads  but  baked  upon  the 
hearth  ;  together  with  butler  and  milk.  It 
seems  they  had  some  sort  of  made  dishes,  by 
that  which  Rebecca  cooked  for  Isaac  ;  but  his 
great  age  may  excuse  this  delicacy.  This  dish 
was  made  of  two  kids,  Gen.  xxvii,  9.  Abra- 
ham dressed  a  whole  calf  for  the  angels,  and 
three  measures  of  meal  made  into  bread,  which 
comes  to  more  than  two  of  our  bushels,  and 
nearly  to  fifty-six  pounds  of  our  weight. — 
Whence  we  may  conclude  they  were  great  eat- 
ers, used  much  exercise,  and  were  perhaps  of  a 
larger  stature  as  well  as  longer  lives  than  we. 
The  Greeks  seem  to  think  that  the  men  of  the 
heroic  ages  were  of  great  stature  ;  and  Homer 


38         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

makes  them  great  eaters.  When  Eumseus 
{Odyss.  xiv,  1.  74,  Tb.  1.  419,)  entertained 
Ulysses,  he  dressed  two  pigs,  probably  young 
ones,  for  himself  and  his  guest  ;  and  on  ano- 
ther occasion,  a  hog  of  five'  years  old  for  five 
persons. 

Homer's  heroes  wait  upon  themselves  in  the 
common  occasions  of  life  ;  and  we  see  the 
patriarchs  do  the  same.  Abraham,  who  had 
so  many  servants,  and  was  nearly  a  hundred 
years  old,  brings  the  water  himself  to  wash  the 
feet  of  his  divine  guests,  bids  his  wife  make 
the  bread  quickly,  goes  himself  to  choose  the 
meat,  and  comes  again  to  serve  them  standing. 
Gen.  xviii,  4.  I  will  allow  that  he  was  ani- 
mated upon  this  occasion  with  a  desire  of 
showing  hospitality;  but  all  the  rest  of  their 
lives  is  of  a  piece  with  it.  Their  servants  were 
to  assist  them,  but  not  so  as  to  exempt  them 
from  working  themselves.  In  fact,  who  could 
have  obliged  Jacob,  wiien  he  went  into  Meso- 
potamia, to  travel  a  journey  of  more  than  two 
hundred  leagues  (for  it  was  at  least  so  far  from 
Beersheba  to  Haran)  alone  and  on  foot,  with 
only  a  staff  in  his  hand  ?  Gen.  xxxii,  10.  What, 
I  say,  could  oblige  him  to  it  but  his  own  com- 
mendable plainness  and  love  of  toil  ?  Thus  he 
rests  where  night  overtakes  him,  and  lays  a 
stone  under  his  head  instead  of  a  pillow.  And 
although  he  was  so  tenderly  fond  of  Joseph,  he 
does  not  scruple  sending  him  alone  from  He- 
bron to  seek  his  brethren  at  Shechem,  which 
was  a  long  day's«  journey;  and  when  Joseph 


THEIR  FRUGALITY. 


39 


does  not  find  them  there,  he  goes  on  to  Dothan, 
more  than  a  day's  journey  farther,  Gen.  xxxvii, 
15,  17,  and  all  this  when  he  was  but  sixteen 
years  old. 

It  was  this  plain  and  laborious  way  of  life, 
no  doubt,  that  made  them  attain  to  such  a  great 
old  age,  and  die  so  calmly.  Both  Abraham 
and  Isaac  lived  nearly  two  hundred  years. 
The  other  patriarchs  whose  age  is  come  to  our 
knowledge,  exceeded  a  hundred  at  least,  and 
we  do  not  hear  that  they  were  ever  sick  during 
so  long  a  hfe.  He  gave  up  the  ghost^  and  died 
in  a  good  old  age,  full  of  days,  is  the  manner 
in  which  the  Scripture  describes  their  death, 
Gen.  XXV,  8.  The  first  time  we  read  of  physic 
cians  is,  when  it  is  said  that  Joseph  commanded 
his  domestics  to  embalm  the  body  of  his  father, 
Gen.  1,  2.  This  was  in  Egypt  ;  and  many 
have  ascribed  the  invention  of  physic  to  the 
Egyptians,  {^^ug.  de  Civ.  Dei.  xvi,  25.) 

The  moderation  of  the  patriarchs  vith  regard 
to  loives  is  no  less  to  be  admired,  when  we  con- 
sider, 1st,  They  were  allowed  to  have  several; 
and  2dly,  Their  desire  of  a  numerous  posterity. 
Abraham,  whom  God  had  promised  to  make 
the  father  of  an  innumerable  people,  though  he 
had  a  barren  wife,  was  so  far  from  thinking  of 
taking  another  that  he  had  made  a  resolution 
of  leaving  his  substance  to  the  steward  of  his 
house,  Gen.  xv,  2.  He  did  not  take  a  second 
till  he  was  eighty-six  years  old,  and  it  was  his 
own  wife  who  gave  her  to  him,  Gen.  xvi,  2.^ 

*  The  handmaids,  as  they  are  termed,  were  a  sort  of 


40 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


We  must  not  say  that  he  was  still  young  with 
respect  to  his  hfe,  which  was  a  hundred  seveniij- 
five  years  long  ;  because,  thirteen  years  after, 
he  and  Sarah,  who  was  ten  years  younger,  are 
called  old,  and  laughed  at  it  as  an  incredible 
thing,  when  God  promised  them  a  son.  Gen.  xviii, 
11.  As  old  as  Abraham  was,  and  as  desirous,  as 
we  may  suppose  him, to  see  the  children  of  Isaac, 
he  did  not  marry  him  till  he  was  forty  years  old. 
Gen.  XXV,  20  ;  and  though  Rebecca  had  no  child 
for  twenty  years,  and  never  but  two,  and  those 
at  one  birth,  Gen.  xxv,  21,  &c,  Isaac  had  no 
other  wife. 

It  is  true,  Jacob  had  two  wives  at  the  same 
time,  and  as  many  concubines  ;  but  it  is  fit  we 
should  consider  the  reason  of  it.  He  stayed 
till  he  was  seventy-seven  with  his  father,  waiting 
for  the  important  blessing  which  he  had  a  right 
to  by  the  resignation  of  his  brother  :  at  that 
age  he  thought  of  marrying,  and  asked  for 
Rachel,  hid  did  not  obtain  her  till  he  had  served 
seven  years,  Gen.  xxix,  20.  At  last  then  he 
married  at  eighty -f our. ^    They  gave  him  Leah 

slaves,  one  of  which  was  usually  given  by  a  father  lo 
bis  daughter  on  her  marriage  :  tience  they  were  con- 
sidered the  unalienable  property  of  their  mi.^tresses,  who 
claimed  not  only  the  fruit  of  their  labour,  \mt  also  the 
very  children  they  bore.  See  above,  and  also  chap, 
xxix,  24,  29. 

♦  When  Joseph  appeared  before  Pharaoh  he  was 
thirty  years  of  age.  Gen.  xli,  46,  at  which  liine  his  father 
was  121  ;  for  when  he  appeared  before  Pharaoh  he  was 
1 30  years  old,  Gen.  xlvii,  9,  and  nine  years  had  elapsed 
from  the  time  Joseph  was  presented  to  Pharaoh  till  the 
time  that  Jacob  und  his  fiim  ly  carne  into  Egypt,  viz. 


THEIR  FRUGALITY. 


41 


against  his  will,  and  he  kept  her  that  she  might 
not  be  disgraced.  But  as  he  might  have  more 
wives  than  one,  or  marry  two  sisters  without 
the  breach  of  any  law  then  existing,  he  took 
her  too,  that  he  had  first  engaged  to  wed,  Gen. 
xxix,  30.  When  she  found  herself  barren,  she 
gave  her  husband  a  handmaid  to  have  children 
by  her.  This  was  a  sort  of  adoption  practised 
at  that  time  :  and  her  sister  did  the  same,  that 
the  family  might  be  increased.  From  all  which 
St.  Augustine  draws  this  conslusion  :  We  do 
not  read  that  Jacob  desired  any  more  than  one 
tvife,  or  made  use  of  more  ivithoui  strielly  observ- 
ing the  rules  of  conjugal  chastity,  (De  Civ.  Dei, 
xvi,  25,  38.)  We  must  not  imagine  he  had 
other  wives  before  ;  for  why  should  the  lust 
only  be  mentioned  ? 

And  yet  I  do  not  undertake  to  justify  all  the 
patriarchs  in  this  point.  The  story  of  Judah 
and  his  sons  affords  but  too  many  examples  of 
the  contrary,  Gen.  xxxviii.  I  would  only  show, 
that  we  cannot,  with  justice,  accuse  those  of  in- 
continence whom  the  Scripture  reckons  holy. 
For  with  regard  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  they 
were  from  that  time  very  much  corrupted. 
Such  then,  in  general,  was  the  first  state  of 
God's  people.  An  entire  freedom,  without 
any  government  but  that  of  a  father,  who  was 
an  absolute  monarch  in  his  own  family.  A  life 
very  natural  and  easy,  through  a  great  abun- 

seven  years  of  plenty  and  two  of  famine  ;  consequenily 
Jàcob  was  ninety-one  years  old  wJ. en  Josepli  waa  bonii 
i^^ugiist,  de  Civit,  Dei,  lib.  xviii,  c.  4.) 

4 


42 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


dance  of  necessaries,  and  an  utter  contempt  of 
superfluities  ;  through  an  honest  labour,  accom- 
panied with  care  and  frugality,  without  anxiety 
or  ambition. 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  second  period: 
which  is,  thatof  the  IsraeUtes,  from  their  coming 
out  of  Egypt  to  the  Babylonish  captivity.  It 
lasted  more  than  nine  hundred  yearsy  and  most 
of  the  Sacred  Writings  relate  to  it. 


PART  II. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Israelites — Their  Kohility. 

Though  the  people  were  already  very  nume- 
rous, they  were  still  called  the  children  of 
Israel,  as  if  they  had  been  but  one  family  ;  in 
the  same  manner  as  they  said,  the  children  of 
Edom,  the  children  of  JVloab,  &c.  Indeed  all 
these  people  were  still  distinct  :  they  knew  their 
own  origin,  and  took  a  pride  in  preserving  the 
name  of  their  author.  Thence  probably  it 
comes  that  the  name  of  childreri  signified  with 
the  ancients,  a  nation,  or  certain  sort  of  people. 
Homer  often  says,  the  children  of  the  Greeks, 
and  the  children  of  the  Trojans.  The  Greeks 
used  to  say,  the  children  of  the  physicians,  and 
grammarians.  With  the  Hebrews,  thè  children 
of  the  east,  arc  the  eastern  people  ;  the  children 
of  BeliaU  the  wicked  ;  the  children  of  men,  or 


THEIR  NOBILITY. 


43 


v4rfam,  mankind.  And  in  the  Gospel  we  often 
see,  the  children  of  this  world, — of  darkness, 
and  of  light — and  also,  the  children  of  the 
bridegroom,  for  those  that  go  along  with  him 
to  his  wedding. 

The  IsraeUtes  were  divided  into  twelve 
tribes,  Gen.  xlix,  1-28.  There  was  the  same 
number  of  the  Ishmaelites,  Gen.  xxv>  13-16, 
and  as  many  of  the  Persians.  {Xenoph,  Cyrop. 
p.  5,  Edit.  Steph.  1581.)  The  people  of  Athens 
were  at  first  composed  of  four  tribes,  afterward 
divided  into  ten,  to  which  they  gave  the  names 
of  ten  heroes,  who  for  this  reason  were  called 
Eponymi,  and  whose  statues  were  set  up  in  the 
public  exchange.  {Demos th,  in  Timocr,  in 
Leptin,  et  ibi  Ulpian.  E'ttc^jvu/xoi,  Hpws^..)  The 
Roman  people  were  also  distributed  into  three  or 
four  tribes,  which  increased  to  thiiHy-five.  The 
names  of  them  are  still  upon  record.  But 
these  Athenian  and  Roman  tribes  were  made 
up  of  different  famiUes,  collected  together  to 
keep  order  in  their  assemblies  and  elections  : 
whereas,  those  of  the  Israelites  were  naturally 
distinct,  and  were  only  twelve  large  families, 
descended  from  twelve  brothers. 

They  were  very  exact  m  keeping  their  gene- 
alogies, and  knew  all  the  succession  of  their 
ancestors,  as  high  as  the  patriarch  of  their  tribe, 
from  whom  it  was  easy  going  back  to  the  first 
man.  Thus  they  were  really  brethren,  that  is  to 
say,  kinsmen,  according  to  the  eastern  language, 
and  of  genuine  nobility,  if  ever  there  was  such 
a  thing  in  the  world. 


44 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


They  had  preserved  the  purity  of  their  fami- 
lies, by  taking  care,  as  their  fathers  did,  not  to 
marry  with  the  nations  descended  from  Canaan, 
who  were  under  a  curse,  Exod.  xxxiv,  16  ; 
Deut.  vii,  3.  For  we  do  not  find  that  the  patri- 
archs avoided  matches  with  any  other  people, 
or  that  they  were  expressly  forbidden  by  the  law 
to  marry  with  them.  Their  families  were  fixed 
and  attached  by  the  same  law  to  certain  lands, 
©n  which  they  were  obliged  to  live,  during 
the  space  of  the  nine  hundred  years  I  have 
mentioned.  Should  we  not  esteem  that  family 
very  noble,  indeed,  that  could  show  as  long  a 
succession  of  generations,  without  any  disgrace- 
ful weddings  in  it,  or  change  of  mansion  ?  Few 
noblemen  in  Europe  can  prove  so  much. 

What  deceives  us  in  this  respect  is,  our  not 
seeing  titles  among  the  Israelites  like  those  of 
our  nobility.  Every  one  was  called  plainly  by 
his  own  name  ;  but  their  names  signified  great 
things,  as  those  of  the  patriarchs.  The  name 
of  God  was  part  of  most  ;  which  was  in  a  man- 
ner a  short  prayer.  Elijah  and  Joel  are  made 
up  of  two  of  God's  names  joined  in  a  diflerent 
way  Jehoshaphat  and  Sephatiah  signify  the 
judgment  of  God:  Jehozadak  and  Zedekiah, 
his  justice  :  Johanan,  or  John,  the  son  of  Hana- 
niah,  his  mercy:  Nathanael,  Elnathan,  Jona- 

*  Elijah,  in  Hebrew  m^'rN  a  contraction  of  iOn  n*»  ^Vî< 
Jehovah  he  is  my  strong  God, 

Joel  ^xv  signifies îyiZ/ing"  or  acquiescing^  from  yaal, 
he  willed,  and  is  not  compounded  of  yah,  .lehovali  ; 
and  El,  the  strong  God,  as  the  Abbe  seems  to  have 
supposed. 


THEIR  NOBILITY. 


45 


than,  and  Nethaniah,  all  four  signify,  Godgiven^ 
or  the  gift  of  God.  Sometimes  the  name  of 
God  was  understood,  as  in  Nathan,  David, 
Obid,  Uzzah,  Ezra  or  Esdras  :  as  is  plain  by 
Eliezer,  God  my  helper:  Uzziel,  God  my 
strength  :  and  Obadiah,  the  Lord's  servant  : 
where  it  is  expressed.  Some  of  their  names 
were  mysterious  and  prophetical,  as  that  of 
Joshua  or  Jesus,  Saviour^  and  those  which 
Hosea  and  Isaiah  gave  their  children  by  the 
order  of  God,  Hosea  i,  4;  Isaiah  viii,  3. 
Other  names  showed  the  piety  of  their  fathers  ; 
and  we  may  see  instances  of  it  in  the  names  of 
David's  brethren  and  children,  1  Chron.  ii,  13, 
and  iii,  1. 

Such  are  the  names  which  appear  so  barba- 
rous to  us  for  want  of  understanding  the  Hebrew 
tongue.  Are  they  not  full  as  significant  as  those 
of  castles  and  towns,  which  our  nobility  as- 
sume? The  Greek  names,  whose  sound  we 
are  so  fond  of,  are  of  the  same  import.  Many 
are  composed  of  the  names  of  their  gods  ;  as 
Diodorus,  Diogenes^  Hermodorus,  Hephœstionj 
Aihenais,  Artemisia.  But  several  are  derived 
from  their  love  of  exercise,  particularly  of  riding, 
as  Philip,  Damasippus^  or  Hippodamus,  Hege- 
sippus,  Hippomedon,  &c.* 

*  DiODORUs  Tov  Sioç  So}pov,  the  gift  of  Jupiter.  Dio- 
genes, yevoç  TOV  5(0f,  bom  of  Jupiter,  Hermodorus, 
from  Ep/iifç  and  6(ûpovy  the  gift  of  Mercury,  H  eph^stion, 
Vulcan.  Athenais,  Minerva.  Artemisia,  Diana, 
Philippus  a  lover  of  horses.  Damasippus,  Hippomedon, 
Hippo DAMUs,  a  tamer  of  horses,  Hegesippus,  chief  or 
captain  of  horse. 


46  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

They  often  added  the  father's  name,  either 
for  distinction  or  respect's  sake,  to  show  that 
the  father  was  a  man  of  renown  :  perhaps  Solo- 
mon had  this  custom  in  his  eye,  when  he  said, 
the  glory  of  children  are  their  fathers^  Prov. 
xvii,  6.  Thus  we  see  in  Homer,  that  the 
Greeks  took  the  paternal  name  for  a  mark  of 
honour.*  Sometimes  the  mother's  name  was 
given  for  the  surname  ;  as  when  the  father  had 
many  wives,  or  when  the  mother  was  of  the  better 
family.  So  Joab  and  his  brethren  are  always 
called  the  sons  of  Zeruiah,  who  was  David's  sis- 
ter, 1  Chron.  ii,  16.  If  the  name  of  the  father  was 
not  distinction  enough,  they  added  the  grand- 
father's as  Gedaliah  the  son  of  Jlhikam^  the  son 
of  Shaphan,  Jer.  xxxix,  14.  And  this  is  the 
reason  of  so  many  names  that  appear  tiresome 
to  us  ;  for  they  went  sometimes  as  high  as  the 
great-grandfather,  or  higher.  Sometimes  a 
surname  was  taken  from  the  head  of  a  particu- 
lar branch,  from  a  town,  a  country,  or  a  nation, 
if  they  were  originally  strangers  ;  as  Uriah  the 
Hittite,  Jlraunah  the  Jebuzite, 

The  Greeks  had  no  surnames  but  what  they 
took  from  their  father  or  country.  The  Romans 
had  family  names,  to  which  they  only  added 
the  distinction  of  some  great  office  or  remark- 
able victory  ;  but  in  deeds,  they  always  set 
down  the  father's  name.    Many  of  the  Euro- 

X,  68. 

"Call  every  single  person  by  his  name. 
And  add  the  father's  name  to  grace  the  son's." 


THEIR  NOBILITY. 


47 


pean  nations  still  retain  the  same  custom  ;  and 
most  of  our  surnames  come  from  the  proper 
names  of  the  fathers,  which  have  remained  with 
their  children.  As  to  the  titles  of  lordships^ 
they  are  not  above  seven  or  eight  hundred 
years  old,  no  more  than  the  lordships  them- 
selves. We  must  not  be  surprised  to  see  in 
Scripture,  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  and  Solomon 
the  son  of  David,  any  more  than  Alexander  the 
son  of  Philip,  and  Ptolemy  the  son  of  Legus,  in 
Greek  authors. 

The  principal  distinction  that  birth  occasion^ 
ed  among  the  Israelites,  was  that  of  the  Lé- 
vites and  priests.  The  whole  tribe  of  Levi 
was  dedicated  to  God,  and  had  no  inheritance 
but  the  tenths  and  the  first  fruits,  which  it  re- 
ceived from  the  other  tribes.  Of  all  the  Lé- 
vites, the  descendants  of  Aaron  only  were 
priests  ;  the  rest  were  employed  in  the  other 
functions  of  religion  ;  in  singing  psalms,  taking 
care  of  the  tabernacle  or  temple,  and  instruct- 
ing the  people.  Two  of  the  other  tribes  were 
sufficiently  distinguished.  That  of  Judah  was 
always  the  most  illustrious  and  the  most  nume- 
rous ;  of  which,  according  to  Jacob's  prophe- 
cy, their  kings,  and  the  Messiah  himself,  were 
to  come,  Gen.  xlix,  10.  That  of  Ephraim  held 
the  second  rank  on  account  of  Joseph.  Yet 
the  eldest  branches  and  the  heads  of  each  family 
were  most  esteemed  in  every  tribe  :  and  this 
made  Saul  say,  surprised  with  the  respect  that 
Samuel  paid  him,  Am  not  I  of  the  smallest  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  and  my  family  the  least  of  all 


48  MANNERS   OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


the  families  of  the  iribe  of  Benjamin  ?  1  Samuel 
ix,  21. 

Age,  too,  made  a  great  distinction  ;  and  the 
name  of  old  man  in  Scripture  generally  denotes 
dignity.  Indeed,  there  was  nothing  but  age 
and  experience  that  could  distinguish  men  equal- 
ly noble,  and  of  the  same  education  and  em- 
ployments and  almost  equally  rich. 


CEiAPlER  II. 

Their  Employments — Agriculture. 

We  do  not  find  any  distinct  professions 
among  the  Israelites.  Erom  the  eldest  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah  to  the  youngest  of  that  of  Ben- 
jamin, they  were  all  husbandmen  and  shepherds, 
driving  their  plougjhs  and  watching  their  flocks 
themselves.  The  old  man  of  Gibeah,  that 
lodged  the  Levite,  whose  wife  was  abused, 
was  coming  back  at  night  from  his  work,  when 
he  invited  him  to  sojourn  with  him.  Judges 
xix,  16.  Gideon  himself  was  threshing  his 
corn  when  the  angel  told  him  he  should  deliver 
his  people,  Judges  vi,  11.  Ruth  got  into  the 
good  graces  of  Boaz  by  gleaning  at  his  harvest. 
Saul,  though  a  king,  was  driving  oxen  when 
he  received  the  news  of  the  danger  Jabesh 
Gilead  was  in,  1  Sam.  xi,  6.  Every  body 
knows  that  David  was  keeping  sheep,  when 
Samuèl  sent  to  look  for  him  to  anoint  him 
king,  1  Sam.  xvi,  11  ;  and  he  returned  to  his 
flock  after  he  had  been  called  to  play  upon  th^ 


THEIR  EMPLOYMENTS. 


49 


harp  before  Saul,  1  Sam.  xvii,  15.  After  he 
was  king,  his  sons  made  a  great  feast  at  the 
shearing  of  their  sheep,  2  Sam.  xiii,  23.  Elisha 
was  called  to  be  a  prophet  as  he  drove  one  of 
his  father's  twelve  ploughs,  1  Kings  xix,  19. 
The  child  that  he  brought  to  life  again  was  with 
his  father  at  the  harvest  when  it  fell  sick» 
2  Kings  iv,  18.  And  Judith's  husband,  though 
very  rich,  got  the  illness  of  which  he  died  on 
the  like  occasion,  Judith  vii,  3.  The  Scrip- 
ture abounds  with  such  examples. 

This,  without  doubt,  is  what  most  offends 
those  who  are  not  acquainted  with  antiquity,  and 
have  no  opinion  of  any  customs  but  their  own. 
When  they  hear  of  ploughmen  and  shepherds, 
they  figure  to  themselves  a  parcel  of  clownish 
boors,  that  lead  a  slavish,  miserable  life,  in 
poverty  and  contempt,  without  courage,  with- 
out sense  or  education.  They  donH  consider, 
that  what  makes  our  country  people  commonly 
so  wretched  is  their  being  slaves  to  all  the  rest 
of  mankind  :  since  they  work  not  only  for  their 
own  maintenance,  but  to  furnish  necessaries  for 
all  those  that  live  in  high  and  polished  life. — 
For  it  is  the  countryman  that  provides  for  the 
citizens,  the  officers  of  the  courts  of  judicature 
and  treasury,  gentlemen,  and  ecclesiastics  :  and 
whatever  ways  we  make  use  of  to  turn  money 
into  provisions,  or  provisions  into  money,  all 
will  end  in  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  those 
'animals  that  are  supported  by  them.  Yet  when 
we  compare  all  these  different  conditions  toge- 
ther, we  generally  place  those  that  work  in  the 


50         MANNERS  OF   THE  ISRAELITES. 


country  in  the  last  rank  :  and  most  people  set  a 
greater  value  upon  fat^  idle  citizens^  that  are 
weak  and  lazy  and  good  for  nothings  because, 
being  richer,  they  live  more  luxuriously,  and  at 
their  ease. 

But  if  we  imagine  a  country,  where  the  dif- 
ference of  conditions  is  not  so  great,  where  to 
live  genteelly  is  not  to  live  without  doing  any 
thing  at  all, ,  but  carefully  to  preserve  one's 
liberty,  which  consists  in  being  subject  to  no- 
thing but  the  laws  and  public  authority  ;  wh/ere 
the  inhabitants  subsist  upon  their  own  stock, 
without  depending  upon  any  body,  and  are  con- 
tent with  a  little,  rather  than  do  a  mean  thing 
to  grow  rich  ;  a  country,  where  idleness,  effe- 
minacy, and  ignorance  of  what  is  necessary  for 
the  support  of  life,  are  discountenanced,  and 
where  pleasure  is  in  less  esteem  than  health 
and  strength  :  in  such  a  country  it  would  be 
more  creditable  to  plough,  or  keep  a  flock, 
than  to  follow  diversions,  and  idle  away  the 
whole  of  a  man's  time.  Now  there  is  no  neces- 
cesity  of  having  any  recourse  to  Plato's  com- 
monwealth to  find  men  of  this  character,  for  so 
iived  the  greatest  part  of  mankind  for  nearly 
four  thousand  years. 

To  begin  with  what  we  are  best  acquainted 
with.  Of  this  sort  were  the  maxims  of  the 
Greeks  and  Romans.  We  see  every  where 
in  Homer,  kings  and  princes  living  upon  the 
fruits  of  their  lands  and  their  flocks,  and  work- 
ing with  their  own  hands.  (^S'ee  the  Iliad  and 
Odijsney^  passim,)    Ilesiod  has  written  a  poem 


THEIR  HUSBANDRY,  &C. 


51 


on  purpose  to  recommend  husbandry,  as  the 
only  creditable  means  of  subsisting  and  im- 
proving one's  fortune  ;  and  finds  fault  with  his 
brother,  to  whom  he  addresses  it,  for  living  at 
other  people's  expense,  by  pleading  causes, 
and  following  affairs  of  that  kind.*  He  reckons 
this  employment,  which  is  the  sole  occupation  of 
so  many  among  us,  no  better  than  idleness. — 
We  see  by  Xenophen's  Œconomics  that  the 
Greeks  had  no  way  lessened  their  opinion  of 
husbandry,  when  they  were  at  the  highest  pitch 
of  poUteness. 

We  must  not,  therefore,  impute  the  fondness 
of  the  Romans  for  husbandry  to  stupidity  and 
want  of  letters  :  it  is  rather  a  sign  of  their  good 
sense.  As  all  men  are  born  with  limbs  and 
bodies  fit  for  labour,  they  thought  every  one 
ought  to  make  use  of  them  ;  and  that  they 
could  not  do  it  to  better  purpose  than  in  making 
the  earth  aflTord  them  a  certain  maintenance  and 
innocent  plenty.  It  was  not,  however,  covet- 
ousness  that  recommended  it  to  them;  since 
the  same  Romans  despised  gold  ,  and  the  pre- 
sents of  strangers.  Nor  was  it  want  of  cou- 
rage and  bravery  ;  since  at  that  very  time  they 
subdued  all  Italy,  and  raised  those  powerful 
armies  with  which  they  afterward  conquered 
the  whole  world.  On  the  contrary,  the  painful 
and  frugal  life  they  led  in  the  country  was  the 
chief  reason  of  their  great  strength^  making 

*  Hesiodi  opera  et  Dies,  lib  i,  v.  26.  Hesiod  flourished 
about  876  years  before  the  Christian  era  ;  and  was  the 
first  poet  who  celebrated  agriculture  in  verse. 


52         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

their  bodies  robust  by  inuring  them  to  labour» 
and  accustoming  them  to  severe  discipline. — - 
Whoever  is  acquainted  with  the  life  of  Cato  the 
Censor,  cannot  suspect  him  of  a  low  way  of 
thinking,  or  of  meanness  of  spirit  ;  yet  that 
great  man,  who  had  gone  through  all  the  offices 
in  the  commonwealth  when  it  flourished  most, 
who  had  governed  provinces  and  commanded 
armies  ;  that  great  orator,  lawyer,  and  politi- 
cian, did  not  think  it  beneath  him  to  write  of 
the  various  ways  of  managing  lands  and  vines, 
the  method  of  building  stables  for  different 
sorts  of  beasts,  and  a  press  for  wine  or  oil  : 
and  all  this  in  the  most  circumstantial  manner  ; 
so  that  we  see  he  understood  it  perfectly,  and 
did  not  write  out  of  ostentation  or  vain  glory, 
but  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  {See  his  work 
De  Re  Rustica.) 

Let  us  then  frankly  own  that  our  contempt 
of  husbandry  is  not  founded  upon  any  solid 
reason  ;  since  this  occupation  is  no  way  in- 
consistent with  courage,  or  any  other  virtue 
that  is  necessary  either  in  peace  or  war,  or 
even  in^true  politeness.  Whence  then  does  it 
proceed  ?  I  will  endeavour  to  show  the  real 
cause.  It  comes  only  from  use,  and  the  old 
customs  of  our  own  country.  The  Franks, 
and  other  people  of  Germany,  lived  in  coun- 
tries that  were  covered  with  forests  :  they  had 
neither  corn,  nor  wine,  nor  any  good  fruits  ;  so 
that  they  were  obliged  to  live  by  hunting,  as 
the  savages  still  do  in  the  cold  countries  of 
America.    After  they  had  crossed  the  Rhine, 


THEIR  HUSBANDRY,  SiC, 


53 


and  settled  on  better  lands,  they  were  ready- 
enough  to  take  the  advantages  that  result  from 
agriculture,  arts,  and  trade  ;  but  would  not  ap- 
ply themselves  to  any  of  them.  They  left  this 
occupation  to  the  Romans,  whom  they  had  sub- 
dued, and  continued  in  their  ancient  ignorance, 
which  time  seemed  to  have  made  venerable  ; 
and  attached  such  an  idea  of  nobility  to  it,  as 
we  have  still  much  ado  to  abandon. 

But  in  the  same  degree  that  they  lessened 
the  esteem  for  agriculture,  they  brought  hunt- 
ing into  credit,  of  which  the  ancients  made  but 
little  account.  They  held  it  ia  the  highest 
repute,  and  advanced  it  to  very  great  perfection, 
sparing  neither  pains  nor  expense.  This  has 
been  generally  the  employment  of  the  nobility- 
Yet,  to  consider  things  in  a  true  light,  the  labour 
spent  in  tilling  the  ground,  and  rearing  tame 
creatures,  answers  at  least  as  well  as  that 
which  only  aims  at  catching  wild  beasts, 
often  at  the  expense  of  tillage.  The  mode- 
rate pains  of  one  that  has  the  care  of  a 
great  number  of  cattle  and  poultry,  is,  surely, 
as  eligible  as  the  violent  and  unequal  exercise 
of  a  hunter  ;  and  oxen  and  sheep  are  at  least 
as  useful  for  our  support  as  dogs  and  horses. 
It  may  well  therefore  be  asserted,  that  our  cus- 
toms, in  this  point,  are  not  as  agreeable  to  rea- 
son as  those  of  the  ancients.* 

*  This  relict  of  ancient  barbarism  is  continued  among 
ÔS  in  full  vigour;  and  without  any  kind  of  reason  to 
vindicate  ihe  practice.  By  it  our  Gothic  ancestors 
piovided.for  tneir  sustenance:  but  their  descendant* 


64  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


Beside,  the  Greeks  and  Romans  were  not  the 
only  people  that  esteemed  agriculture  as  the 
Hebrews  did  :  the  Carthaginians^  who  were 
originally  Phœnicians,  studied  it  much,  as 
appears  by  the  Iwenty-eight  books  which  Mago 
wrote  upon  that  subject.  (  Varro^s  Preface.)  The 
Egyptians  had  such  a  reverence  for  it,  as  even 
to  adore  the  creatures  that  were  of  use  in  it. 
The  Persians,  in  the  height  of  their  power,  had 
overseers  in  every  province  to  look  after  the 
tillage  of  the  ground.  Cyrus  the  Younger 
delighted  in  planting  and  cultivating  a  garden 
with  his  own  hands.  {Xenoplu  Œcon,)  As  to 
the  Chaldeans,  we  cannot  doubt  of  their  being 
well  skilled  in  husbandry,  if  we  reflect  upon  the 
fruitfulness  of  the  plains  of  Babylon,  which 
produced  two  or  three  hundred  grains  for  one.^ 
In  a  word,  the  history  of  China  teaches  us,  that 
agriculture  was  also  in  high  esteem  among 
them  in  the  most  ancient  and  best  times.  No- 
thing but  the  tyranny  of  the  northern  nations  has 
made  it  so  generally  disesteemed. 

use  it  as  a  species  of  pleasure,  without  being  impelled 
to  it  by  any  kind  of  necessity.  Often  the  peaceable  in- 
habitants of  a  whole  country  are  thrown  into  confusion 
by  vast  numbers  of  dogs  and  horsemen,  breaking 
through  their  enclosures,  and  destroying  the  hopes  of 
their  agricultural  toil.  And  all  this  to  run  a  poor  timid 
helpless  animal  out  of  breath  !  Is  not  such  a  practice 
as  this  as  disgraceful  to  humanity  as  it  is  to  common 
sense  ? 

*  Tov  he  rrjç  AtTiirjrpoç  Kapnov  w5c  ayaStf  tK(pipeiv  £orif  oxrrt 
«7ri  èitjKoaia — ini  rpitiKoaia  iKipcpti.  {Ilerodot,  Clio.  page  89. 

Edit.  Steph.  1592.) 


THEIR  HUSBANDRY,  &C.  55 

Let  US  then  divest  ourselves  of  the  mean 
opinion  we  have  conceived  of  it  from  our  in- 
fancy. Instead  of  our  villages,  where  we  see 
on  one  side  castles  and  houses  of  pleasure,  and 
on  the  other  miserable  huts  and  cottages,  let 
us  imagine  we  saw  those  spacious  farms  which 
the  Romans  called  villas,  that  contained  an 
apartment  for  the  master,  an  inner  yard  for 
poultry,  barns,  stables,  and  servants'  houses  ; 
and  all  this  in  exact  proportion,  well  built,  kept 
in  good  repair,  and  exceedingly  clean.  We 
may  see  descriptions  of  them  in  Vai^ro  and 
Columella.  Their  slaves  were  most  of  them 
happier  than  our  country  people,  well  fed,  well 
clothed,  and  without  any  care  upon  their  hands 
for  the  sustenance  of  their  families.  The  mas- 
ters, frugal  as  they  were,  lived  more  to  the^ 
satisfaction  than  our  gentry.  We  read  in  Xe- 
nophon  of  an  Athenian  citizen,  who,  taking  a 
walk  every  morning  into  the  fields  to  look  after 
his  workmen,  at  the  same  time  promoted  his 
health  by  the  exercise  of  his  body,  and  increas- 
ed his  substance  by  his  diligence  to  make  the 
most  of  it.  {Xenoph,  (Econ.  and  Cic.  Cato 
JMajor.  c.  17.)  So  that  he  was  rich  enough 
to  give  liberally  to  reli  gious  uses,  the  service  of 
his  friends,  and  country.  Tully  mentions  se- 
veral farmers  in  Sicily,  so  rich  and  magnificent^ 
as  to  have  their  houses  furnished  with  statues 
of  great  value,  and  were  possessed  of  gold  and 
^^  silver  plate  of  chased  work.  (Lib.  iv,  in  Yer. 
Edit.  Lond.,  1680,  vol.  ii,  p.  2721.) 

In  fine,  it  must  be  owned,  that  as  long  as  the 


66 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


nobility  and  rich  men  of  a  country  were  not 
above  this  most  ancient  of  all  professions,  their 
lives  were  more  happy,  because  more  conform- 
able to  nature.  They  lived  longer,  and  in  better 
health,  their  bodies  were  fitter  for  the  fatigue 
of  war  and  travelling,  and  their  minds  more  se- 
rious and  composed.  Being  less  idle,  they 
were  not  so  tired  of  themselves,  nor  solicitous 
in  refining  their  pleasures.  Labour  gave  a  re- 
lish to  the  smallest  diversions.  They  had  few- 
er evil  designs  in  their  heads,  and  less  içmpta- 
tion  to  put  them  in  execution.  Their  plain  and 
frugal  way  of  living  did  not  admit  of  extrava- 
gance,  or  occasion  their  running  into  debt. 
There  were,  of  consequence,  fewer  law  suits, 
selling  up  of  goods,  and  families  ruined  :  fewer 
frauds,  outrages,  and  such  other'crimes,  as  real 
or  imaginary  poverty  makes  men  commit,  when 
they  are  not  able  or  willing  to  work.  The 
worst  is,  that  the  example  of  the  rich  and  noble 
influences  every  body  else  :  whoever  thrives  so 
as  to  be  never  so  little  above  the  dregs  of  the 
people  is  ashamed  to  work,  especially  at  hus- 
bandry. Hence  come  so  many  shifts  to  live  by 
one's  wits,  so  many  new  contrivances  as  are 
invented  every  day,  to  draw  money  out  of  one 
purse  into  another.  God  knows  best  how  in- 
nocent all  these  unnatural  ways  of  living  are. 
They  are  at  least  most  of  them  very  precarious  ; 
whereas  the  earth  will  always  maintain  those 
that  cultivate  it,  if  other  people  do  not  take  its  ^ 
produce  from  them. 

So  far  then  is  the  country  and  laborious  life 


THEIR  HUSBANDRY,  &C.  57 

of  the  Israelites  from  making  them  comtempt- 
ibie,  that  it  is  a  proof  of  their  wisdom,  good 
education,  and  resolution  to  observe  the  rules 
of  their  fathers.  They  knew  the  first  man  was 
placed  in  the  terrestrial  paradise  to  work  there, 
Gen.  ii,  15;  and  that,  after  his  fall,  he  was 
condemned  to  more  laborious  and  ungrateful 
toil.  Gen.  iii,  17.  They  were  convinced  of 
those  solid  truths  so  often  repeated  in  the  books 
of  Solomon  :  that  poverty  is  the  fruit  of  lazi- 
ness,  Prov.  x,  4,  5.  That  he  ivho  sleeps  in  sum- 
mer^ instead  of  minding  his  harvests,  or  that 
ploughs  not  in  winter  for  fear  of  the  cold,  de- 
serves  to  beg  and  have  nothing,  Prov.  xx,  4,  13. 
That  plenty  is  the  natural  consequence  of  labour 
and  industry,  Prov.  xxvii,  18.  That  riches^ 
too  hastily  got,  are  not  blessed,  Prov.  xx,  21. 
There  we  see  frugal  poverty,  with  cheerfulness 
and  plainness,  preferred  to  riches  and  abund- 
ance, with  strife  and  insolence,  Prov.  xvii,  1  ; 
xix,  1  ;  the  inconvenience  of  the  two  extremes 
of  poverty  and  wealth,  and  the  wise  man's  de- 
sires, confined  to  the  necessaries  of  life,  Prov. 
XXX,  8,  9.  He  even  enters  into  a  minute  de- 
tail of  economical  precepts  :  Prepare  thy  work^ 
says  he,  without,  and  make  it  Jit  for  thijself  in 
the  field,  and  afterward  build  thine  house,  Prov. 
xxiv,  27  ;  which  is  the  same  with  that  maxim 
in  Cato,  that  planting  requires  not  much  consi- 
deration, but  building  a  great  deal. 
^  Now  that  which  goes  by  the  name  of  uwrhy 
business,  goods,  in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  and 
throughout  the  whole  Scripture,  constantly  re- 
6 


5S  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

lates  to  country  affairs  ;  it  always  means  lands, 
vines,  oxep,  and  sheep.  From  thence  are  bor- 
rowed most  of  the  metaphorical  expressions. 
Kings  and  other  chiefs  are  called  shepherds; 
and  the  people,  their  ^ocfcs;  to  govern  them,  is 
to  find  pasture  for  them.  Thus,  the  Israelites 
sought  their  livelihood  only  from  the  natural 
sources,  which  are  lands  and  cattle  :  and  froni 
hence,  all  that  enriches  mankind,  whether  by 
manufactures,  trade,  rents,  or  trafficking  withi 
money,  is  ultimately  derived.* 


CHAPTER  in. 

The  Nature  of  the  Soil— Its  Fruitfulnes^. 

The  Israelites  dwelt  in  the  land  that  was 
promised  to  the  patriarchs,  which  the  Scripture 
otiten  describes  as  flowing  with  milk  and  honey, 
to  express  its  great  fertility.  This  country, 
which  is  so  hot  in  comparison  of  ours,  lies  a 
^  great  way  within  the  temperEite  zone,  between 
thirty-one  and  thirty-three  degrees  of  northern 
latitude.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  very 
high  mountains,  that  defend  it  trom  the  scorch^ 
ing  winds  that  blow  from  the  Arabian  deserts, 
and  which  run  as  far  to  the  east  as  they  do. 
The  Mediterranean,  which  bounds  it  to  the 
west  north-west,  supplies  it  with  refreshing 

*  What  a  blessing  would  it  be  to  the  world,  wer» 
these  timrs  of  primitive  simplicity  and  cotpoîon  sense 
restored  to  munkind. 


SOIL  AND  PRODUCE. 


59 


breezes  ;  and  Mount  Libanus,  that  is  situated 
more  to  the  north,  intercepts  those  that  are 
colder.  The  Mediterranean  is  what  the  Scrip- 
ture commonly  calls  the  Great  Sea;  for  the 
Hebrews  knew  little  of  the  ocean^  and  gave  the 
name  of  seas  to  lakes  and  all  great  waters. 
The  inland  part  of  the  country  is  varied  with  a 
great  many  mountains  and  hills  proper  for, wnes, 
fruit  trees,  and  small  cattle;  and  the  valle'^S! 
abound  with  streams,  very  necessary  to  water 
the  country,  which  has  no  river  but  Jordan. 
Rain  falls  seldom,  but  the  time  of  its  coming  is 
well  regulated  :  it  falls  in  the  spring  and  autumn, 
and  is  therefore  called  the  early  and  latter^  or 
the  evening  and  morning  rain,  in  Scripture, 
which  reckons  the  year  as  ohe  day.  In  sum- 
mer, the  great  dews  compensate  for  the  scarcity 
of  rain.  They  had  plains  fit  for  tillage  and 
pasture,  particularly  the  great  plain  of  Galilee  : 
and  this  variety  of  land,  within  so  small  a  com- 
pass, must  needs  afford  very  beautiful  land- 
scapes, especially  where  a  country  is  well  peo- 
pled and  cultivated. 

For  we  are  not  to  judge  of  the  Holy  Land 
from  the  condition  it  is  now  in.  From  the  time 
of  the  crusades  it  was  laid  waste  by  continual 
wars,  till  it  became  subject  to  the  Turks.  By 
these  means  it  is  now  almost  desolate.  There 
is  nothing  to  beÉêeen  but  little  paltry  villages, 
ruins,  lands  uncultivated,  and  deserted,  but  full 
of  high  grass,  ifç?hich  shbws  their  natural  fer- 
tility. The  Turks  neglect  it,  as  they  do  their 
other  provinces;  and  several  of  the  Arabian 


60  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


clans,  called  Bedouins,  encamp  there  at  plea- 
sure, and  plunder  it  with  impunity.  To  know 
then  what  it  was  formerly,  we  must  consult  an- 
cient authors;  Josephus,  but  above  all  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  {Jos.  War,  b.  3,  c.  3.  Ant. 
b.  5,  c.  1,  5,  21.  Whiston^s  Translation^  fol. 
Lond.  1737.)  Consider  the  report  which  the 
spies  made  that  were  sent  by  Moses,  and  the 
prodigious  bunch  of  grapes  they  brought  back, 
Ntim.  xiii,  23.  And  that  we  may  not  be  sur- 
prised at  it,  let  us  compare  the  grapes  in  France 
with  those  in  Italy,  which  is  a  cold  country  in 
comparison  of  Palestine.  It  is  the  same  with 
regard  to  most  of  our  fruits.  Their  names  still 
show  that  we  had  them  originally  from  Asia  and 
Africa  :  but  they  have  not  retained  their  extra- 
ordinary size  and  natural  flavour  with  their 
names. 

The  Israelites  had  vast  crops  of  corn  and 
barley:  wheat  is  reckoned  among  the  chief 
commodities  that  they  carried  to  Tyre,  Ezek. 
xxvii,  17.  They  had  plenty  of  oil  and  honey. 
The  mountains  of  Judah  and  Ephraim  were 
great  vineyards.  {Josephus,  War,  b.  1,  c.  5.) 
The  palm  trees  that  grow  about  Jericho  yielded 
a  censiderable  profit  ;  and  it  was  the  only  place 
in  the  world  where  the  genuine  balsam  tree  was 
to  be  found.  {Fastidit  Balsamum  alibi  nasci. 
Plin.  Hist.  Nat.  lib.  xvi,  c.  32.) 

This  fertility  of  their  country,  and  the  pains 
they  took  to  cultivate  it,  account  for  its  main- 
taining such  a  multitude  of  people,  though  it 
was  of  so  small  e.xtent.    For  what  the  Scrip- 


SOIL  AND  PRODUCE. 


61 


ture  says  of  it  seems  hardly  credible  at  first 
sight.  When  the  people  first  came  into  this 
land,  there  were  more  than  six  hundred  thou- 
sand men  bearing  arms,  from  twenty  years  old 
to  sixty,  Num.  xi,  21.  In  the  war  of  Gibeah, 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin  alone,  which  was  the  least 
of  all,  had  an  army  of  Iwenty-six  thousand  men^ 
and  the  rest  of  the  people  had  one  of  four  hun- 
dred thousand,  Judg.  xx,  17.  Saul  headed 
ttvo  hundred  and  ten  thousand  men  against  the 
Amalekites,  when  he  rooted  them  out,  1  Sam* 
XV,  4.  David  always  kept  up  twelve  corps^ 
each  consisting  of  twenty-four  thousand  men, 
which  served  by  the  month,  and  amounted  to 
tivo  hundred  and  eighty  thousand,  1  Chron. 
xxvii,  1.  And  when  he  numbered  the  people, 
which  brought  down  the  wrath  of  God  upon 
him,  there  were  one  million  three  hundred  thou- 
sand fighting  men,  2  Sam.  xxiv,  9.  Jehosha- 
phat  had  more  in  proportion  :  for  though  he 
had  scarcely  a  third  part  of  David's  kingdom, 
he  had  more  troops  fit  for  war  ;  which,  altoge- 
ther, made  eleven  hundred  and  three-score  thou- 
sand men,  all  under  his  immediate  command, 
beside  the  garrisons  in  his  strong  places,  2 
Chron.  xvii,  14,  15,  &c. 

Nor  is  there  any  thing  incredible  in  all  this  : 
we  see  examples  to  the  same  purpose  in  profane 
history.  The  great  city  of  Thebes  in  Egypt 
furnished  out  of  its  own  inhabitants  alone  seven 
hundred  thousand  fighting  men.  {Tacit.  Jin- 
naL  ii.)  In  the  year  188,  from  the  foundation 
of  Borne,  when  Servius  Tullius  first  numbered 


62  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

the  people,  they  reckoned  eighty  thousand  citi- 
zens fit  to  bear  arms.  (Liv.  i,  24.)  Yet  they 
had  nothing  to  subsist  upon  but  the  land  about 
Rome,  which  is  now  most  of  it  barren  and  deso- 
late ;  for  their  dominion  did  not  extend  above 
eight  or  ten  leagues.* 

That  was  the  chief  foundation  of  their  poli- 
tics in  old  time.  In  the  multitude  of  people^ 
says  the  wise  man,  is  the  king^s  honour,  but 
in  the  ivant  of  people  is  the  destruction  of 
the  prince,  Prov.  xiv,  28.  They  supported 
themselves  much  less  by  cunning  than  real 
strength.  Instead  of  being  industrious  in  set- 
ting spies  upon  their  neighbours,  and  endea- 
vouring to  sow  divisions  among  them,  or  gain 
credit  by  false  reports,  they  took  pains  to  peo- 
ple and  cultivate  their  own  country,  and  make 
the  most  of  it  they  possibly  could,  whether  it 
was  small  or  great. 

They  endeavoured  to  make  marriages  easy, 
and  the  lives  of  married  people  comfortable;  to 
get  health  and  plenty,  and  draw  out  the  ground 
all  it  could  produce.  They  employed  their 
citizens  in  labour,  inspired  them  with  a  love  of 
their  country,  unanimity  among  themselves,  and 
obedience  to  the  laws  :  this  is  what  they  call 
politics. — These  are  fine  maxims  it  may  be 
said  ;  but  let  us  come  to  matters  of  fact.  Show 
us  how  it  is  possible,  that  so  small  a  country 
as  Palestine  should  maintain  so  great  a  num- 
ber of  people.     In  order  to  do  this,  we  must 


♦  See  thç  supplement  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 


SOIL  AND  PRODUCE. 


6^ 


have  patience  to  go  through  a  short  calculation^ 
and  not  to  think  it  below  us  to  descend  to  par- 
ticulars, which  is  the  only  way  of  proving  it  to 
satisfaction. 

Josephus  has  preserved  a  valuable  fragment 
of  Hecatseus  the  Abderite,  who  lived  in  the 
time  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  was  a  courtier 
of  Ptolemy  the  First.  After  relating  many  re- 
markable particulars  concerning  the  manners 
of  the  Jewsy  he  adds,  that  the  country  they  in- 
habited contains  about  three  million  arnres  of 
very  rich  and  fruitful  ground.  {Joseph,  cont. 
*âpp,  b.  ii,  p.  990.  Wliision^s  edit.  Lond.  fol. 
1737.)  The  arure,  according  to  Eustathius, 
was  a  hundred  square  cubits,  that  is,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  which,  multiplied  into  so 
many  square  feet,  make  twenty-two  thousand 
five  hundred.  {Eustath.  ex  Horn.)  Now,  our 
arpent,  or  acre  of  a  hundred  perches,  contahis 
forty  thousand  square  feet,  reckoning  the  perch 
but  twenty  feet.  So  nine  of  our  arpents  make 
sixteen  arures. 

I  have  informed  myself  of  the  produce  of  our 
best  land,  and  find  that  it  yields  five  quarters  of 
corn  per  arpent,  Paris  measure.  I  have  in- 
quired, likewise,  how  much  goes  to  the  susten- 
ance of  one  man,  and  find,  that,  at  the  allowance 
of  two  pounds  and  six  ounces  of  bread  per  day, 
he  consumes  about  three  bushels  of  corn  each 
month,  which  comes  to  thirty-six  bushels  per 
year.  But  this  would  not  have  been  enough 
for  the  Israelites  ;  we  must  give  them  at  least 
double  ;  and  it  may  be  proved  from  Scriptur0<? 


64  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

When  God  gave  them  manna  in  the  wilder- 
ness, he  ordered  each  man  to  take  an  omer  of 
it  every  day,  neither  more  nor  less,  Exodus 
xvi,  16  ;  and  it  is  often  said,  that  it  was  as 
much  as  a  man  could  eat.  Now,  an  omer, 
reduced  to  our  measure,  held  above  Jive  pints^ 
and  its  weight  was  more  ih^n  five  pounds  and  a 
half,  Exod.  xvi,  18.  It  was  then  about  eighty- 
four  bushels  per  year  :  consequently,  each 
arpent,  or  acre,  could  maintain  but  two  men  at 
most;  and  three  millions  of  arures  making 
one  million  six  hundred  eighty-seven  thousand 
live  hundred  arpents,  would  feed  three  million 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  men. 

I  know  very  well  this  number  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  furnish  out  the  one  million  two 
hundred  thousand  fighting  men  of  Jehoshaphat. 
He  had  not  dominion  over  half  the  land  ;  and 
though  all  the  Israelites  bore  arms  without  dis- 
tinction, there  were  always  a  great  many  per- 
sons among  them  unfit  for  war.  We  must 
reckon  nearly  as  many  women  as  men,  a  great 
many  old  men,  and  more  children  :  and  though 
in  proportion  they  need  less  food,  however  it 
must  require  a  great  deal  to  suffice  such  a  multi- 
tude. Beside,  they  were  obliged  by  the  law  to 
let  the  land  have  rest  every  seventh  year. 

But  it  must  be  observed  that  this  passage  in 
Ilecatseus  relates  only  to  the  ploughed  lands  of 
the  Jews,  and  those  too  that  were  most  fruit- 
ful. For  if  we  take  the  whole  extent  of  the 
land  of  Israel,  it  would  be  fourteen  tirhes  as 
much.    It  cannot  be  computed  rs  less  than 


SOIL  AISD  PRODUCii. 


65 


five  degrees  square,  according  to  our  maps. — 
Now  one  degree  makes  two  million  nine  hun^ 
dred  thirty  thousand  two  hundred  Jifttj-nine 
square  arpents  ;  and  the  five  degrees,  fourteen 
million  six  hundred  ffty-one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred ninety-jive  arpents.  So  that  it  is  evident 
Hecatseus  has  reckoned  only  a  small  part.  He 
has  left  out  what  the  Samaritans  enjoyed  in  his 
time  ;  their  lakes,  deserts,  and  barren  grounds, 
vineyards,  plantations,  and  pastures,  of  which 
they  must  have  had  a  large  quantity  for  the 
support  of  their  great  herds  of  cattle.  For 
beside  what  they  bred,  they  had  some  from 
other  countries.  The  king  of  Moab  paid  Ahab, 
king  of  Israel,  a  tribute  of  a  hundred  thousand 
lambs^  and  as  many  rams.  Other  Arabians 
brought  Jehoshaphat  seven  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred rams  J  and  as  many  he  goats,  2  Chron» 
xvii,  11.  All  this  cattle  was  a  great  help  ta 
maintaining  them,  not  only  by  the  flesh,  but  the 
milk  :  considering  that  the  Israelites  lived  in 
a  simple  manner,  and  laid  out  all  their  good 
ground  in  tillage  ;  for  they  had  few  groves,  no 
parks  for  hunting,  nor  avenues,  nor.  flower  gar- 
dens. We  see  by  the  Song  of  Solomon  that 
their  gardens  were  full  of  fruit  trees  and  aroma- 
tic plants  ;  we  may  therefore  be  in  still  less 
concern  for  their  lodging  than  their  food,  since 
half,  nay  quarter  of  an  acre,  is  more  than  suffi- 
cient to  lodge  not  only  one  man,  but  a  whol® 
family,  with  ease  and  convenience* 


66  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


SUPPLEMENT  TO  CHAPTER  III, 

Concerning  the  Population  of  ancient  JVations^ 

As  popular  arithmetic  is  become  a;  subject 
of  considerable  importance,  the  reader  will  not 
be  displeased  to  see  the  following  collections 
in  this  place,  relative  to  the  population  of  some 
ancient  states  : — 

The  free  citizens  of  Sybaris,  able  to  bear 
arms,  and  actually  drawn  out  in  battle  were 
300,000  :  they  encountered  at  Siagara  with 
100,000  of  Crotona,  a  neighbouring  Greek  city^ 
and  were  defeated.  {Diod.  SicuL  lib.  xii.)  Stra- 
bo  confirms  this  account.  (Lib.  vi.) 

The  citizens  of  Agrigentum  when  it  was 
destroyed  by  the  Carthaginians  amounted  ac- 
cording to  Diodorus  Siculus  (lib*  xiii,)  to 
20,000,  beside  200,000  strangers  ;  but  neither 
the  slaves  nor  women  and  children  are  in- 
cluded in  this  account.  On  the  whole,  thi» 
city  must  have  contained  nearly  2,000,000  of 
inhabitants. 

Polybius  says,  (lib.  ii,)  that  when  the  Romans^ 
were  threatened  with  an  invasion  from  the 
Gauls,  between  the  first  and  second  punie  war, 
on  a  muster  of  their  own  forces,  and  those  of  their 
allies,  they  were  found  to  amount  to  700,000 
men  able  to  bear  arms.  The  country  that  sup- 
plied this  number  was  not  one  third  of  Italy,  viz. 
the  pope's  dominions,  Tuscany,  and  a  part  of  the 
kingdom  of  Naples.  But  Diodorus  Siculus  (lib. 


POPULATION  OF  ANCIENT  NATIONS.  67 

ii,)  makes  the  same  enumeration  amount  to 
nearly  1,000,000. 

Julius  Cesar,  according  to  Appian  {Celtica) 
encountered  4,000,000  of  Gauls,  killed  one 
million,  and  took  another  million  prisoners. 

Athenseus  says  (lib.  vi,  cap.  20,)  that  by  the 
enumeration  of  Demetrius  Phalerius,  there  were 
in  Athens  21,000  citizens,  18,000^  strangers, 
and  400,000  slaves. 

The  same  author  says,  that  Corinth  had  once 
460,000  slaves,  and  Egina,  470,000. 

The  Spartans, says  Plutarch,  {invit.  Lycurg.) 
were  9000  in  the  town,  30,000  in  the  country  : 
the  male  slaves  must  have  been  78,000,  the 
whole  more  than  3,120,000. 

In  the  time  of  Diodorus  Siculus  there  lived 
in  Alexandria  300,000  free  people:  and  this 
number  does  not  seem  to  comprehend  either 
the  slaves  (who  must  have  been  double  the 
number  of  grown  persons)  or  the  women  and 
children.  (Lib.  xvii.) 

Appian  says,  [Celt,  pars,  1,)  that  there  were 
400  nations  in  Gaul  ;  and  Diodorus  Siculus 
says,  (lib.  v,)  that  the  largest  of  these  nations 
consisted  of  200,000  men,  beside  women  and 
children,  and  the  least  of  50,000.  Calculating 
therefore  at  a  medium,  we  must  admit  of  nearly 
200,000,000  of  people  in  that  country,  the  po- 
pulation of  which  does  not  now  amount  ta 
30,000,000.  The  latter  historian  tells  us,  that 
the  army  of  Ninus  was  composed  of  1,700,000 
foot,  and  200,000  horse.  (Lib.  ii.)  There  were 
exact  bills  of  mortality  kept  at  Rome  ;  but  no 


68  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

ancient  author  has  given  us  the  number  of 
burials,  except  Suetonius,  who  tells  us,  that  in 
one  season  30,000  names  were  carried  to  the 
temple  of  Libitina,  (the  goddess  of  death,)  but 
it  appears  that  a  plague  raged  at  that  time.  {Su- 
et, in  vit.  JVeronis,  ) 

Diodorus  Siculus  (lib.  ii,)  says,  that  Diony- 
sius  the  Elder  had  a  standing  army  of  100,000 
foot,  10,000  horse,  and  a  fleet  of 400  gallies. 

If  the  preceding  statements  be  correct,  what 
desolations  must  have  taken  place  in  the  earth 
in  the  course  of  the  last  2000  years  ! 

Baron  Montesquieu  supposes  that  population 
is  not  so  great  now  as  it  was  formerly.  {Lettres 
jjersonnesj  et  VEsprit  de  Loix,  liv.  xxiii,  chap. 
17,  18,  19.)  Travel  (says  this  sensible  writer) 
through  the  whole  earth,  and  you  will  find 
nothing  but  decay  :  one  might  well  suppose  it 
to  be  just  arising  out  of  the  ravages  of  the 
plague  or  of  the  famine.  After  the  most  exact 
calculation  which  subjects  of  this  nature  can 
*  admit  of,  we  find  that  there  is  scarcely  the 
fiftieth  part  of  men  upon  the  earth  now,  that 
there  was  in  the  time  of  Julius  Cesar.  What 
is  most  astonishing  is^  that  population  decreases 
daily,  and  if  this  should  continue,  the  world 
must  become  a  desert  in  the  course  of  ten  cen- 
turies. This  is  the  most  terrible  catastrophe 
that  has  ever  taken  place  in  the  world  ;  but  it  is 
scarcely  perceived  because  it  comes  insensibly, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  great  number  of  centu- 
ries: but  this  proves  that  an  inward  decay,  a 
iecret  and  hidden  poison,  a  languishing  disease 


THEIR  RICHES. 


69 


afflicts  the  whole  course  of  human  nature.  See 
Mr.  Hume's  Essay  on  the  populousness  of 
ancient  nations. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Riches  of  the  Israelites. 

Each  Israelite  had  his  field  to  till,  which  was 
the  same  that  had  been  allotted  to  his  ancestors 
in  the  time  of  Joshua.  They  could  neither 
change  their  place,  nor  enrich  themselves  to  any 
great  degree.  The  law  of  jubilee  had  provided 
against  that  by  revoking  all  aUenations  every 
fifty  years,  and  forbidding  to  exact  debts,  not 
only  this  forty-ninth  year,  but  every  sabbatical 
year  :  for  as  the  ground  lay  fallow  those  years, 
it  was  but  reasonable  to  put  a  stop  to  law  pro- 
ceedings at  the  same  time.  [Lev.  xxv,  10,  11, 
&c.  Joseph.  Antiq.h.  iii,  c.  12,  s.  3.  Whis- 
ion^s  edit.  fol.  Lond.  1737.)  Now,  this  diffi- 
culty of  being  paid  again^  made  it  not  so  easy 
to  borrow  money,  and  consequently  lessened  the 
opportunities  of  impoverishment  ;  which  was  the 
design  of  the  law.  Beside,  the  impossibility  of 
making  lasting  purchases  gave  a  check  to  am- 
bition and  anxiety  ;  every  body  was  confined 
to  the  portion  of  his  ancestors,  and  took  a  plea- 
sure in  making  the  best  of  it,  knowing  it  could 
never  go  out  of  the  family. 

This  attachment  was  even  a  religious  duty 
founded  upon  the  law  of  God  :  and  thence  pro- 


70  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

ceeded  the  generous  opposition  made  by  Na- 
both,  when  King  Ahab  would  have  persuaded 
him  to  sell  the  inheritance  of  his  fathers^  1 
Kings,  xxi,  3.  So  the  law  says  they  were  no 
more  than  usufructuaries  of  their  land,  or  rather 
God's  tenants,  who  was  the  true  proprietor  of 
it,  Levit.  XXV,  23.  They  were  obliged  to  pay 
no  rent,  but  the  tenths  and  first  fruits  which  he 
had  commanded  :  and  Samuel  reckons  taxes 
upon  corn  and  wine  as  one  of  the  en- 
croachments of  kings  that  he  threatens  the 
people  with,  1  Sam.  viii,  16.  All  the  Israelites 
were  then  very  nearly  equal  in  riches  as  well 
as  quality  :  and  if  by  the  increase  of  a  family, 
the  estate  in  land  was  forced  to  be  divided 
into  more  shares,  it  was  to  be  made  up  with 
industry  and  labour,  by  tilling  the  ground  more 
carefully,  and  breeding  greater  numbers  of  cat- 
tle in  deserts  and  commons. 

Thus,  it  was  cattle  and  other  movables  that 
made  one  richer  than  another.  They  bred 
the  same  sort  of  creatures  as  the  patriarchs  did, 
and  always  many  more  females  than  males  ; 
otherwise  they  had  been  liable  to  many  incon- 
veniences, for  the  law  forbad  to  castrate  them, 
Levit.  xxii,  24.  They  had  no  horses,  nor  are 
they  of  any  great  use  in  mountainous  coun- 
tries :  their  kings  had  them  out  of  Egypt  when 
they  had  occasion  for  them.  The  common 
way  of  riding  was  upon  asses,  even  among  the 
rich.  To  give  us  a  great  idea  of  Jair,  one  of 
the  judges  over  the  people,  the  Scripture  tells 
us  that  he  had  thirty  sons  riding  upon  thirty 


THEIR  RICHES. 


71 


asses,  Judges  x,  4,  who  were  rulers  of  thirty 
cities.  It  is  recorded  of  Abdon,  another  judge, 
that  he  had  forty  sons,  and  thirty  grandsons, 
that  rode  upon  three-score  and  ten  asses,  Judg. 
xii,  14  ;  and  in  the  Song  of  Deborah,  the  cap- 
tains of  Israel  are  described  as  mounted  upon 
sleek  and  shining  asses.* 

It  does  not  appear  that  they  had  a  great 
number  of  slaves,  neither  had  they  any  occa- 
sion for  them,  being  so  industrious  and  numer- 
ous in  so  small  a  country.  They  chose  rather 
to  make  their  children  work,  whom  they  were 
obliged  to  maintain:  who  served  them  better 
than  any  slaves.  The  Romans  found  a  great 
inconvenience  at  last  from  that  vast  multitude 
of  slaves  of  all  nations,  which  luxury  and  effe- 
minacy had  introduced  among  them  :  it  tvas 
one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  ruin  of  that  em- 
pire. 

Ready  money  could  not  be  very  common 
among  the  Israelites  :  there  was  no  great  occa- 
sion for  it  in  a  country  of  little  trade,  and  where 
it  was  scarcely  possible  to  alienate  lands  or  run 
into  debt,  Lev.  xxv,  10  ;  Deut.  xv,  i,  3.  They 
were  forbidden  to  take  usury  of  one  another, 
though  they  might  of  strangers,  Lev.  xxv,  36  ; 
Deut.  xxiii,  19  ;  but  if  they  observed  their  law, 

*  Judges  V,  10. — ^n'^  tsachar  signifies  not  only  white^ 
as  it  is  traoslated  in  our  ^ibles,  but  sleek  or  shining; 
nilentesj  as  the  Vulgate  has  it.  And  probably  the  asses 
here  rpentioned  might  be  both  ;  the  author's  words  arc 
ânes  polis  et  luisans.  The  word  occurs  but  twice  in 
the  Hebrew  Bible  :  viz,  jo  jlJhç  ^bove  text,  and  E«ek, 

XTÇVU,  18. 


^2  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

it  was  no  easy  matter  to  have  any  dealings  with 
foreigners,  2  Chron.  ii,  17.  Thus  their  wealth, 
as  I  said  before,  consisted  chiefly  in  land  and 
cattle. 

And  they  are  riches  of  this  kind  which  God 
promises  them,  such  as  are  most  natural  and 
substantial.  He  speaks  to  them  neither  of  gold, 
nor  silver,  nor  precious  stones,  nor  fine  furni- 
ture ;  much  less  of  other  riches  which  depend 
more  upon  trade  and  the  inventions  of  men  : 
but  he  says  he  will  send  rain  in  its  season,  that 
the  earth  shall  bring  forth  corn  in  abundance,  ' 
that  the  trees  shall  be  laden  with  fruit,  that  the 
harvest,  the  vintage,  and  seed  time  shall  follow 
one  another  without  interruption.  Lev.  xxvi,  3, 
&c.    He  promises  them  plenty  of  food,  undis- 
turbed sleep,  safety,  peace,  and  even  victory 
over  their  enemies.    He  adds,  that  he  will  ' 
make  them  increase  and  multiply  by  looking  \ 
favourably  upon  them,  that  his  blessing  shall 
make  their  wives  fruitful,  that  he  will  bless  their  i 
herds  of  cattle,  and  flocks  of  sheep,  their  grana- 
ries, and  cellars,  and  the  works  of  their  hands, 
Deut.  xxviii,  4.    These  are  the  temporal  good 
things  which  God  allows  men  to  expect  from 
him. 


THEIR  ARTS  AND  TRADES.  7^ 


CHAPTER  V. 
Their  Arts  and  Trades, 

We  know  no  people  more  entirely  addicted 
to  agriculture  than  the  Israelites.  The  Egyp- 
tians and  Syrians  joined  manufactures,  naviga- 
tion, and  trade  to  it  :  but  above  all,  the  Pheni- 
cians,  who,  finding  themselves  straitened  in 
point  of  room,  from  the  time  that  the  Israelites 
drove  them  out  of  their  country,  were  obliged 
to  live  by  trade,  and  be  in  a  manner  brokers  and 
factors  for  all  the  rest  of  the  v/orld.  The  Greeks 
imitated  them,  and  excelled  chiefly  in  arts.  On 
the  contrary,  the  Romans  despised  mechanics, 
and  applied  themselves  to  commerce.  {JosepJu 
cont.  Jlpp,  1.  i,  12.)  As  for  the  IsraeUtes,  their 
land  was  sufficient  to  maintain  them;  and  the 
sea  coasts  were,  for  the  most  part,  possessed  by 
the  Philistines  and  Canaanites,  who  were  the 
Phenicians.  There  was  only  the  tribe  of  Zabu- 
Ion,  whose  share  of  land  lay  near  the  sea,  that 
had  any  temptation  to  trade  :  which  seems  to 
be  foretold  in  the  blessings  pronounced  by  Ja- 
cob and  Moses,  Gen.  xlix,'13;  Deut.  xxxiii,  18. 

Nor  do  we  see  that  they  applied  themselves 
any  more  to  manufactures.  Not  that  arts  were 
not  then  invented  :  many  of  them  are  older  than 
the  flood.  Gen.  iv,  20-22  :  and  we  find  that 
the  Israelites  had  excellent  workmen,  at  least 
as  early  as  the  time  of  Moses.  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  who  made  the  tabernacle  and  every 
thing  that  was  necessary  for  the  service  of  God, 
6 


74  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


are  an  instance  that  puts  this  past  dispute,  Ex- 
odus, xxxi,  2,  6  ;  xxxvi,  xxxvii,  &c.  It  is  sur- 
prising^ how  they  came  to  be  so  well  skilled  in 
arts  that  were  not  only  very  difficult,  but  very 
different  from  one  another.  They  understood 
melting  of  metals,  cutting  and  engraving  pre- 
cious stones  :  they  were  joiners,  makers  of  ta- 
pestry, embroiderers,  and  perfumers. 

There  are  two  of  these  arts  that  I  ihost  of 
all  admire,  the  cutting  of  jewels,  and  the  casting 
of  figures,  Exod.  xxxi,  5  ;  such  as  the  cheru- 
bim of  the  ark,  and  the  golden  calf  which  was 
made  at  that  time.  They  who  understand  the 
arts  ever  so  little,  know  how  much  ingenuity 
and  what  a  number  of  tools  those  works  require. 
If  they  were  invented  before,  it  is  a  sign  that 
even  the  arts  which  serve  only  for  ornament 
were  then  brought  to  great  perfection  :  and  if 
they  had  any  secret,  to  do  the  same  thing  with 
more  ease  and  a  less  apparatus,  it  was  still  a 
higher  degree  of  improvement.  But  this  only 
by  the  by,  to  show  that  people  were  not  so  dull 
and  ignorant  in  these  ancient  times  as  many 
imagine,  the  world  being  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred years  old  in  the  days  of  Moses. 

But  whether  these  two  famous  workmen  had 
learnt  from  the  Egyptians,  or  their  skill  was 
miraculous  and  inspired  by  God,  as  the  Scrip- 
tures seem  to  say,  it  does  not  appear  that  they 
had  any  to  succeed  them,  nor  that  any  of  the 
Israelites  were  artificers  by  profession,  and 
worked  for  the  public  till  the  time  of  the  kings. 
When  Saul  began  to  reign,  it  is  taken  notice 


THEIR  ARTS  AND  TRADE».  75 


of,  that  there  was  no  workman  that  understood 
forging  iron  in  all  the  land  of  Israel,  1  Sam, 
xiii,  19  :  and  that  they  were  forced  to  go  io  the 
Philistines  to  sharpen  even  the  instruments 
which  they  used  in  husbandry.  It  is  true,  this 
was  owing  to  the  oppression  of  the  Philistines, 
to  hinder  them  from  making  arms.  But  several 
years  after,  David  was  obliged,  when  he  fled^ 
to  take  the  sword  of  Goliah,  which  must  have 
been  rather  too  heavy  for  him,  and  take  it  too 
out  of  God's  tabernacle,  1  Sam.  xxi,  9,  where 
it  was  hung  up  for  a  lasting  monument  of  his 
victory.  This  makes  me  think  there  were  no 
arms  to  be  bought. 

It  seems  likewise  as  if  there  was  no  bread 
sold  ;  since,  upon  the  same  occasion,  Abime- 
lech  the  priest  was  obliged  to  give  David  the 
show-bread  ;  which  intimates  moreover,  that 
people  kept  but  little  bread  in  their  housesr  it 
may  be,  upon  account  of  the  country's  being  so 
hot.  So  the  witch  to  whom  Saul  went,  made 
him  bread  on  purpose  when  she  entertained  him, 
that  he  might  recover  his  strength,  1  Sam. 
xxviii,  24.  Every  one  had  an  oven  in  his  own 
house,  since  the  law  threatens  them,  as  with  a 
great  misfortune,  that  ten  women  should  bake 
their  bread  at  one  oven.  Lev.  xxvi,  26.  At 
Rome  there  were  no  bakers  till  the  time  of  the 
Persian  war,  more  than  five  hundred  and  eighty 
years  after  the  foundation  of  the  city.* 

*  Pistores,  Romae  non  fuenint  ad  Persicum  usque  bef- 
lum,  annis  ap  urbe  condita  super  580.  Ipsi  panem  facie- 
bant  Cluirites,  mulierum  Id  opus  crat.  Plin.  Hist.  Nat* 
lib.  xviii,  ell. 


76  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


Were  we  to  reckon  up  all  trades  particularly, 
it  would  appear  that  many  would  have  been  of 
no  use  to  them.  Their  plain  way  of  living,  and 
the  mildness  of  the  climate,  made  that  long 
train  of  conveniences  unnecessary,  which  we 
think  it  hard  to  be  without  ;  though  vanity  and 
effeminacy,  more  than  real  want,  have  introduced 
them.  And  as  to  things  that  were  absolutely 
necessary,  there  were  few  of  them  that  they  did 
not  know  how  to  make  themselves.  All  sorts 
of  food  were  cooked  within  doors.  The  women 
made  bread  and  prepared  the  victuals,  they  spun 
wool,  made  stuifs  and  wearing  apparel  :  the 
men  took  care  of  the  rest. 

Homer  describes  old  Eumseus  making  his 
own  shoes,  and  says,  that  he  had  built  fine 
stalls  for  the  cattle  he  bred."^'  Ulysses  himself 
built  his  own  house,  and  set  up  his  bed  with 
great  art,  the  structure  of  which  served  to  make 
him  known  to  Penelope  again.  {Odyss.  lib. 
xxiii,  V.  183-204.)  When  he  left  Calypso,  it 
was  he  alone  that  built  and  rigged  the  ship  : 
from  all  which  we  see  the  spirit  of  these  ancient 
times.  {Odyss.  lib.  v.  243-257.)  It  was  es- 
teemed an  honour  for  each  person  to  understand 
the  making  of  every  thing  necessary  for  life, 
without  any  dependence  upon  others,  and  it  is 
that  which  Homer  most  commonly  calls  wisdom 
and  knowledge.  Now,  I  must  say,  the  authority  of 

*  Autos  5*  a/x^i  -noheacnv  tois  apapioKS  TTC^tXa, 

Tajiv(Dvè£pixa^  Pouov,  tvxpoes.    Odyss.  lib.  xiv,  V.  23. 

Here  sat  Eumaeus,  and  his  care  apply'd 

To  form  strong  buskins  of  well-ocasonM  hide. — Pope. 


THEIR  ARTS  AND  TRADES. 


77 


Homer  appears  to  me  very  great  in  this  case. 
As  he  lived  about  the  time  of  the  Prophet  Ehjah, 
and  in  Asia  Minor,  ail  the  accounts  that  he  gives 
of  the  Greek  and  Trojan  customs,  have  a  won- 
derful resemblance  with  what  the  Scripture 
informs  us  of  concerning  the  manners  of  the 
Hebrews  and  other  eastern  people  :  {Marm. 
Jlrundel.)  only  the  Greeks,  not  being  so  ancient, 
were  not  so  polite. 

But  however  it  might  be  in  former  times,  we 
are  sure  that  David  left  a  great  number  of  arti- 
ficers in  his  kingdom  of  all  sorts  ;  masons, 
carpenters,  blacksmiths,  goldsmiths,  and  indeed 
all  such  as  work  in  stone,  wood,  and  ,inetals, 
1  Chron.  xxii,  15,  16.  And  that  we  may  not 
think  they  were  strangers,  it  is  said  that  Solo- 
mon chose  out  of  Israel  thirty  thousand  work- 
men, and  that  he  had  seventy  thousand  that 
bare  burdens  and  eighty  thousand  hewers  in  the 
mountains,  1  Kings  v,  13,  15.  It  is  true,  he 
borrowed  workmen  of  the  king  of  Tyre, 
1  Kings  v,  1-12  ;  vii,  13,  &;c,  and  owned  that 
his  subjects  did  not  understand  cutting  wood  so 
well  as  the  Sidonians,  and  that  he  sent  for 
Hiram,  an  excellent  founder,  to  make  the  sacred 
vessels. 

But  luxury  increasing  after  the  division. of  the 
two  kingdoms,  there  is  reason  to  believe  they 
had  always  plenty  of  workmen.  In  the  gene- 
alogy of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  we  may  observe, 
there  is  a  place  called  the  valley  of  crafismen^^ 

+  The  valley  of  craftsmen  D^ann  n^j  gia  charashim^ 
translated  vallis  ariificum,  by  ihe  Vulgale,  v^n  charash, 


78 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


1  Chron.  iv,  14,  because,  says  the  Scripture, 
they  dwelt  there.  There  is  likewise  mention 
made  in  the  same  place,  of  people  that  wrought 
fine  lit^ien,  and  of  potters,  who  worked  for  the 
king,  and  dwelt  in  his  gardens.  All  this  shows 
the  respect  that  was  paid  to  famous  mechanics, 
and  the  care  that  was  taken  to  preserve  their 
memory.  The  Prophet  Isaiah,  among  his 
menaces  against  Jerusalem,  foretels  that  God 
will  take  away  from  her  the  cunning  artificers, 
Isaiah  hi,  3  :  and  when  it  was  taken  it  is  often 
said  that  they  carried  away  the  very  workmen, 

2  Kings  xxiv,  14.  But  we  have  a  proof  from 
Ezekiel,  that  they  never  had  any  considerable 
manufactures,  when  the  prophet,  describing  the 
abundance  of  their  merchandize  which  came  to 
Tyre,  mentions  nothing  brought  from  the  land 
of  Judah  and  Israel,  but  wheat,  oil,  resin,  and 
balm,  Ezek.  xxvii,  17  ;  all  of  them  commodities 
that  the  earth  itself  produced. 

These  were  the  employments  of  the  Israelites, 
and  their  manner  of  subsisting.  Let  us  now 
come  to  something  more  particular,  and  describe 
their  apparel,  their  houses,  furniture,  food,  and 
whole  manner  of  living,  as  exactly  as  we  can. 
They  rose  early,  as  the  Scripture  observes  in  a 
great  number  of  places,  that  is,  as  often  as  it 
mentions  any  action,  though  never  so  incon- 
siderable.   Hence  it  comes,  that  in  their  style, 

signifies  to  work  in  iron,  wood,  stone,  pottery,  &c,  and 
Joab,  the  person  mentioned  in  the  text,  is  styled  by- 
Rabbi  Joseph's  Targum,  the  chief  or  superintendent  of 
f.h«  craftsmen  or  artificers. 


THEIR  APPAREL. 


79 


to  rise  earlij  signifies,  in  general,  to  do  a  thing 
sedulously,  and  with  a  good  will  :  thus  it  is  fre- 
quently said,  that  God  rose  up  early  to  send  the 
prophets  to  his  people,  and  exhort  them  to 
repentance,  2  Chron.  xxxvii,  15,  It  is  a  con- 
sequence of  country  labour.  The  Greeks  and 
Romans  followed  the  sam.e  custom  :  they  rose 
very  early,  and  worked  till  night  :  they  bathed, 
supped,  and  went  to  bed  in  good  time. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Their  wearing  AppareL* 

As  to  the  clothes  of  the  Israelites,  we  cannot 
know  exactly  the  shape  of  them.  They  had 
no  pictures  or  statues,  and  there  is  no  coming 

*  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  dress  of 
the  Jews  was  similar  to  that  of  the  ancient.  Egyptians: 
and,  as  many  statues  and  monuments  of  Egyptian  an- 
tiquity still  remain,  we  may  see  by  them  what  the 
ancient  Jewish  habits  were.  A  tunic  was  the  principal 
part  of  their  dress  :  this  was  made  nearly  in  the  form 
of  our  present  shirt.  A  round  hole  was  cut  at  the  top 
merely  to  permit  the  head  to  pass  through.  Sometimes 
it  had  long  sleeves  which  reached  down  to  the  wrists: 
at  other  times  short  sleeves  which  reached  to  the  elbow, 
and  som.ehad  very  short  sleeves  which  reached  only  to  the 
middle  of  the  upper  arm  ;  and  some  had  no  sleeves  at 
all.  The  tunic  was  nearly  the  same  with  the  Roman 
sioia,and  was  ingeneral  girded  around  the  waist  or  under 
the  breasts  with  the  zona  or  girdle.  Beside  the  tunic , 
they  wore  the  pallium^  which  covered  the  shoulders  and 
back,  and  was  the  same  with  the  chlamys  of  the  Greeks. 
Indeed,  all  these  ancient  nations  seem  to  have  had  nearly 
the  same  dress. 


80 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


at  a  right  notion  of  these  things  without  seeing 
them.  But  one  may  give  a  guess  at  them, 
from  the  statues  which  remain  of  the  Greeks 
and  other  nations  :  for  as  to  modern  pictures, 
most  of  them  serve  only  to  give  us  false  ideas. 
I  do  not  speak  only  of  those  Gothic  paintings, 
in  which  every  person,  let  him  have  lived  where 
and  when  he  would,  is  dressed  like  those  the 
painter  was  used  to  see  ;  that  is,  as  the  French 
or  Germans  were  some  hundred  years  ago  ;  I 
mean  the  works  of  the  greatest  painters  except 
Raphael,  Poussin,  and  some  few  others  that 
have  thoroughly  studied  the  manner  or  costume 
of  each  age,  as  they  call  it.  All  the  rest  have 
had  no  more  sense  than  to  paint  the  people  of 
the  east  such  as  they  saw  at  Venice,  or  other 
parts  of  Italy  :  and  for  the  stories  of  the  New 
Testament,  they  painted  the  Jews  like  those  of 
their  own  country.  However,  as  most  Scrip- 
ture painting  is  copied  from  these  originals,  we 
have  taken  the  impression  of  it  from  om*  infancy, 
and  arc  used  to  form  to  ourselves  an  idea  of 
the  patriarchs  with  turbans,  and  beards  down  to 
their  waist  ;  and  of  the  Pharisees  in  the  Gospel 
with^hoods  and  pouches.  There  is  no  great 
evil  kï  beins;  deceived  in  all  this  ;  but  it  is  better 
not  to  be  deceived,  if  possible. 

The  ancients  commonly  wore  long  garments, 
aâ  most  nations  in  the  world  still  do  ;  and  as 
we  ourselves  did  in  Europe  not  above  two  hun- 
dred years  ago.  One  may  much  sooner  cover 
the  whole  body  all  at  once,  than  each  part  of  it 
singly;  and  long  garments  have  more  dignity 


THEIR  APPAREL. 


81 


and  gracefulness.  In  hot  countries  they  al- 
ways wore  a  wide  dress,  and  never  concerned 
themselves  about  covering  the  arms  or  legs,  or 
v/ore  any  thing  upon  the  leet,  but  soles  fastened 
in  different  v/ays.  Thus  their  dress  took  but 
little  making  :  it  was  only  a  large  piece  of  cloth 
shaped  into  a  garment  ;  there  was  nothing  to 
cut,  and  not  much  to  sew.  They  had  likewise 
the  art  of  weaving  gowns  with  sleeves  all  of 
one  piece,  and  without  seam,  as  our  Saviour's 
coat  was,  John  xix,  23. 

The  fashions  never  changed,  nor  do  they 
now,  in  any  part  of  the  east.  And  since  clothes 
are  made  to  cover  the  body,  and  men's  bodies 
are  alike  in  all  ages,  there  is  no  occasion  for 
the  prodigious  variety  of  dresses,  and  such  fre- 
quent changes,  as  w^e  are  used  to.  It  is  rea- 
sonable to  seek  that  which  is  most  convenient, 
that  the  body  may  be  sufficiently  defended 
against  the  injuries  of  the  weather,  according 
to  the  climate  and  season,  and  be  at  perfect 
liberty  in  all  its  motions.  There  must  be  a 
proper  respect  paid  to  decency,  age,  sex,  and 
profession.  One  may  have  an  eye  likewise  to 
the  handsomeness  of  clothes,  provided,  u^lder 
that  pretence,  we  do  not  wear  uneasy  ornamenls, 
and  are  contented,  as  the  ancients  were,  with 
agreeable  colours  a;id  natural  drapery  :  but 
when  once  v/e  have  found  w\iat  is  handsome 
and  convenient,  we  ought  by  no  means  to 
change. 

Nor  are  they  the  wisest  people  who  invent 
new  fashions:  they  are  generally  ivomen  and 


S2  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


young  people,  with  the  assistance  of  mercers, 
milliners,  and  tailors,  who  have  no  other  view 
hat  their  own  interest.  Yet  these  trifles  have 
very  grievous  consequences.  The  expense  oc- 
casioned by  superfluous  ornaments,  and  the 
changing  of  fashions  is  very  hard  upon  most 
people  of  moderate  circumstances,  and  is  one 
reason  that  marrying  is  so  difficult  :  it  is  a  con- 
tinual source  of  quarrels  between  the  old  and 
young,  and  the  reverence  for  ancient  times  is 
much  lessened  by  it. — Young  fantastical  peo- 
ple, when  they  see  their  ancestors'  pictures  in 
dresses  which  are  only  ridiculous  because  they 
are  not  used  to  them,  can  hardly  believe  they 
were  persons  of  a  good  understanding,  or  their 
maxims  fit  to  be  followed.  In  a  word,  they 
that  pretend  to  be  so  very  nice  and  exact  in  ^ 
their  dress,  must  spend  a  great  deal  of  their  , 
time  in  it,  and  make  it  a  study,  of  no  use  surely  , 
toward  improving  their  minds,  or  rendering  ] 
them  capable  of  great  undertakings. 

As  (he  ancients  did  not  change  their  fashions,  i 
the  rich  had  always  great  quantities  of  clothes 
by  them,  and  were  not  Hable  to  the  inconveni- 
ence of  waiting  for  a  new  suit,  or  having  it 
made  up  in  haste.  Lucullus  had  five  thousand 
cloaks  in  his  wardrobe,*  which  was  a  sort  of 

^   Chlamydes  Lucullus,  ut  aiunt, 

Si  posset  centum  seen  se  praebere  rogatus, 

Clui  possum  tot?  ait:  

■  post  paulô  scribit,  sibi  millia  quinque 

jEsse  domi  Cfilamydum. 

HoRAT.  Epist.  lib.  1,  E.  vi,  v.  40-44. 


THEIR  APPAREL. 


83 


military  dress  ;  by  which  we  may  judge  of  what 
he  had  beside.  It  was  common  to  make  pre- 
sents of  clothes  ;  and  then  they  always  gave 
two  suits,  for  change,  and  that  one  might  be 
worn  while  the  other  was  washing,  as  we  do 
with  our  sets  of  linen. 

The  stuffs  were  generally  made  of  wool.  In 
Egypt  and  Syria  they  wore  also  fine  linen,  cot- 
ton, and  byssus,  which  was  finer  than  all  the 
rest.     This  byssus,  which  the  Scripture  so 
often  mentions,  is  a  sort  of  silk,  of  a  golden 
yellow,  that  grows  upon  great  shell  fish.  {Ges- 
ner.  Hist,  Anim,  1.  iv,  de  Pinna,)    As  to  our 
1  silk  made  from  worms,  it  was  unknown  in  the 
I   time  of  the  Israelites,  and  the  use  of  it  did  not 
I  become  common  on  this  side  the  Indies,  till 
*  more  than  five  hundred  years  after  Christ. 

The  beauty  of  their  clothes  consisted  in  the 
i  fineness  and  colour  of  the  stuff.    The  most 
esteemed  were  the  white  and  the  purple,  red  or 
violet.    And,  it  seems,  white  was  the  colour 
most  in  use  among  the  Israelites,  as  well  as  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  ;  since  Solomon  says,  let 
thy  garments  he  always  white^  Eccles.  ix,  8, 
i  meaning  clean.    Nothing  in  reality  can  be 
S  plainer  than  to  make  use  of  wool  or  flax  just  as 

As  this  was  a  kind  of  military  dress,  it  is  probable 

that  Lucullus  had  them  principally  for  the  purpose  of 
:  clothing  his  soldiers.    Lucullus  commanded  the  Roman 

armies  against  Jtfif/irtcZaies,  kingof  Pontus,  and  Tigranes^ 
,  king  of  Armenia,  and  was  honoured  with  a  triumph 

in  the  year  691.    He  is  accused  of  being  the  first  wh© 

introduced  luxury  among  the  Romans. 


64  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


nature  produces  it,  without  dying.  Young  peo- 
ple of  both  sexes  wore  clothes  variegated  with 
divers  colours.  •Such  was  Joseph's  coat  which 
his  brethren  spoiled  him  of  when  they  sold  him, 
Gen.  xxxvii,  32  ;  and  of  the  same  sort  were 
the  gowns  which  kings'  daughters  wore  in  the 
time  of  David,  2  Sam.  xiii,  18. 

The  ornaments  of  their  habits  w^ere  fringes, 
or  borders  of  purple  or  embroidery^  and  clasps 
of  gold  or  precious  stones,  w^here  they  were 
necessary.  Greatness  consisted  in  changing 
dress  often,  and  wearing  only  such  clothes  as 
were  thoroughly  clean  and  whole.  Beside, 
nobody  will  doubt  that  the  Israelites  w^ent  very 
plain  in  their  dress,  if  we  consider  how  remark- 
able the  Greeks  and  Romans  were  for  it,  ev^^n 
in  the  time  of  their  greatest  luxury.  We  see  it 
in  ancient  statues,  Trajan's  pillar,  and  other 
pieces  of  sculpture. 

The  garments  commonly  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture are  the  lunic  and  mantle  :  and  the  Greek 
and  Roman  dress  consisted  of  these  two  only. 
(See  the  note  p.  79.)  The  tunic  was  made 
wide,  to  leave  freedom  of  motion  at  work  :  they 
loosed  it  when  they  were  unemployed  ;  but  in 
travelling  or  at  work  they  tied  it  up  with  a  gir- 
dle. Thence  comes  the  phrase  so  frequent  in 
Scripture,  Arise,  gird  up  thy  loins,  and  do  this. 
The  Israelites  were  ordered  to  wear  ribands  of 
blue  on  the  borders  of  their  garments,  to  make 
them  continually  mindful  of  the  law  of  God, 
Numb.  XV,  38,  They  had  the  head  covered 
with  a  sort  of  tiara,  like  that  of  the  Persians  and 


THEIR  APPAREL. 


85 


Chaldeans,  for  it  was  a  sign  of  mourning  to  go 
bareheaded  :  and  they  wore  their  own  hair,  for 
to  be  shaved  was  another  mark  of  affliction. 
As  to  the  beard,  it  is  very  certain  they  wore 
it  long,  by  the  instance  of  the  ambassadors  that 
David  sent  to  the  king  of  the  Ammonites,  half 
of  whose  beards  that  ill-advised  prince  shaved 
off  to  aflront  them,  2  Sam.  x,  4  :  so  that  they 
were  forced  to  stay  some  time  at  Jericho,  to  let 
their  beards  grow  again,  before  they  could  have 
the  face  to  show  themselves  :  he  also  caused 
their  clothes  to  be  cut  off  in  the  middle,  and  in 
such  a  manner  as  shows  they  wore  them  very 
■  long. 

They  bathed  frequently,  as  is  still  the  custom 
»  in  hot  countries,  and  washed  their  feet  still 
'  oftener  ;  because,  wearing  nothing  but  sandals, 
they  could  not  walk  without  gathering  much 
i  dust.     Thence  it  comes  that  the  Scripture 
I  speaks  so  much  of  washing  the  feet  at  first 
coming  into  a  house,  at  sitting  down  to  victuals, 
and  going  to  bed.    Now,  because  water  dries 
the  skin  and  hair,  they  anointed  themselves, 
i  either  with  plain  o'û,  or  such  as  had  aromatic 
spices  mfused  in  it,  which  was  commonly  called 
'  ointmenL    This  custom  still  prevails  in  the 
East  Indies. 

We  see  in  several  parts  of  the  Scripture  after 
what  manner  the  women  dressed  and  adorned 
themselves.  God  reproaching  Jerusalem  with 
her  breaches  of  faith,  under  the  figure  of  a  hus- 
band, who  has  brought  his  wife  out  of  the  great- 
est misery  to  heap  biessmgs  upon  her,  says,  by 


86  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES* 

the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  that  he  has  given  her  very 
fine  stuffs,  and  of  different  colours,  a  silken 
girdle,  purple  shoes,  bracelets,  a  necklace,  ear- 
rings, Ezek.  xvi,  10,  11,  &c,  and  a  crown  or 
rather  mitre,*  such  as  the  Syrian  women  used 
a  great  while  after  ;  that  he  adorned  her  with 
gold  and  silver,  and  the  most  costly  raiment. 
When  Judith  dressed  herself  to  go  to  Holo-  . 
femes,  it  is  said  that  she  washed  and  anointed  i 
herself,  that  she  braided  her  hair,  and  put  attire 
upon  her  head  ;  that  she  put  on  her  garments 
of  gladness,  with  sandals  upon  her  feet,  and  \ 
adorned  herself  with  bracelets,  earrings,  and 
rings  upon  her  fingers,  Judith  x,  3,  &c.    In  a 
word,  we  cannot  desire  a  more  particular  ac- 
count of  these  female  ornaments  than  what  we 
read  in  Isaiah  when  he  reproaches  the  daugh- 
ters of  Sion  with  their  vanity  and  luxury,  Isa. 
iii,  16,  &c;   for  corruption  was  then  got  to  • 
the  highest  pitch.  ' 

*  Ite,  quibus  grata  est  picta  lupa  barbara  mitra. 
Juv.  Sut.  iii,  V,  66. 

The  barbarous  harlots  coowd  the  public  place  ; 
Go,  fools,  and  purchase  an  unclean  embrace  ; 
The  painted  mitre  court,  and  the  more  painted  face» 

Drtden. 

Mitres,  variously  painted  and  ornamented,  are  stiîl 
used  by  the  women  of  the  east. 


THEIR  HOUSES  AND  FURNITURE.  87 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Thtir  Houses  and  Furniture  » 

There  was  occasion  for  much  less  furniture 
in  those  hot  countries  than  in  ours  :  and  therr 
plainness  in  all  other  respects  give  us  reason  ta 
think  they  had  but  little.  The  law  often  speakj* 
of  wooden  and  earthen  vessels  ;  and  earthen 
ware  was  very  common  among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  before  luxury  had  crept  in  among' 
them.  They  are  mentioned  among  the  things 
that  were  brought  for  the  refreshment  of  David, 
during  the  war  with  Absalom,  2  Sam.  xvii,  28. 
We  see  the  furniture  that  was  thought  neces- 
sary, in  the  words  of  the  Shunamite  woman  who 
lodged  the  Prophet  EHsha  :  Let  us  make^  said 
she  to  her  husband,  a  little  chamber  for  the  man 
I  of  Gody  and  set  for  him  there  a  bed,  a  table,  a 
!  stool,  and  a  candlestick,  2  Kings  iv,  10.  Their 
beds  were  no  more  than  couches  without  cur- 
tains, except  they  were  such  light  coverings  as 
the  Greeks  called  canopies,"^  because  they 
served  to  keep  off  the  gnats.  The  great  peo- 
ple had  ivory  bedsteads,  Amos  vi,  4,  as  the 
Prophet  Amos  reproaches  the  wealthy  in  his 
lime  ;  and  they  that  were  most  delicate  made 
their  beds  very  soft,  decked  them  with  rich 
stuffs,  and  sprinkled  them  with  odoriferous  wa- 
ters, Prov.  vii,  16,  17.  They  placed  the  beds 
against  the  wall  ;  for  it  is  said,  when  Hezekiah 
was  threatened  that  he  should  die  soon,  he 

*  Konopeion  from  Kwvwrr;//,  a  gnat. 


88  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


turned  his  faee  to  the  wall  to  weep,  2  Kings 
XX,  2. 

The  candlestick  mentioned  among  Elisha's 
furniture  was,  probably,  one  of  those  great  ones 
that  were  set  upon  the  ground  to  hold  one  or 
more  lamps.*  Till  then,  and  a  long  while  after, 
even  in  the  time  of  the  Romans,  they  burnt  no- 
thing but  oil  to  give  light.  Thence  it  is  so 
common  in  Scripture  to  call  every  thing  that 
enlightens  the  body  or  mind,  whatever  guides 
or  refreshes,  by  the  name  of  lamp.  There  is 
not  much  reason  to  think  they  had  tapestry  in 
their  houses.  They  have  occasion  for  little  in 
hot  countries,  because  bare  walls  are  cooler. 
They  make  use  only  of  carpets  to  sit  and  lie 
upon,  and  Ezekiel  speaks  of  them*  among  the 
merchandise  which  the  Arabians  brought  to 
Tyre,  Ezek.  xxvii,  24.  They  are  also  men- 
tioned among  the  things  provided  for  David's 
refreshment,  which  would  incline  one  to  think 
the  Israelites  used  them  in  camp,  for  in  houses 
they  had  chairs. f 

*  I  have  now  before  me  a  cast  from  a  lamp,  brought  by 
Mr.  Jackson,  (author  of  a  Journey  from  India  over  land, 
&c,  Svo.  Lond.  1799,)  from  the  ruins  of  Herculaneum  : 
it  is  circular,  twenty-two  inches  in  diameter,  and  con- 
tains places  for  twelve  lights.  The  oil  is  put  into  a 
large  cavity  in  the  centre  which  is  covered  with  a  lid, 
and  with  this  cavity  all  the  wick  places  communicate. 
It  is  finely  ornamented  on  the  top,  with  the  thyrses  and 
masks  alternately  placed.  As  there  are  no  ornaments 
on  the  under  side,  it  is  evidently  one  of  that  kind  men- 
tioned above,  which  stood  upon  a  table,  or  was  placed 
on  the  ground. 

t  2  Sam.  xvii,  28,  where  they  'are  termed  beds  ox 
couches. 


THEIR  HOUSES  AND  FURNITURE. 


89 


Their  houses  differed  from  ours  in  all  that 
we  see  still  in  hot  countries.  Their  roofs  are 
flat,  the  windows  closed  with  lattices  or  curtains, 
they  have  no  chimneys,  and  lie  for  the  most 
part  on  a  ground  floor. 

We  have  a  great  many  proofs  in  Scripture 
that  roofs  were  flat  in  and  about  the  land  of  Is- 
rael. Rahab  hid  the  spies  of  Joshua  upon  the 
roof  of  the  house,  Josh,  ii,  6.  When  Samuel 
acquainted  Saul  that  God  had  chosen  him  to  be 
king,  he  made  him  lie  all  night  upon  the  roof 
of  the  house,  which  is  still  usual  in  hot  coun- 
tries, 1  Sam.  ix,  25.  David  was  walking  upon 
the  roof  of  his  palace,  when  he  saw  Bathsheba 
bathing,  2  Sam.  xi,  2.  When  Absalom  had  re- 
belled against  his  father,  he  caused  a  tent  to  be 
raised  upon  the  roof  of  the  same  palace,  where 
he  lay  with  his  father's  concubines,  2  Sam.  xvi, 
22.  This  action  was  in  a  manner  taking  pos- 
session of  the  kingdom,  and  made  public,  to 
show  that  he  was  determined  never  to  return  to 
his  duty.  They  ran  to  the  tops  of  their  houses 
upon  great  alarms,  as  is  plain  from  two  passages 
in  Isaiah  xv,  3,  and  xxi,  1.  All  this  shows  the 
reason  of  the  law,  that  ordered  a  battlement  to 
be  raised  quite  round  the  roof,  lest  any  body 
should  fall  down  and  be  killed,  Deut.  xxii,  8, 
and  explains  the  expression  in  the  Gospel,  ivhaf 
you  have  heard  in  the  ear,  publish  on  the  house 
tops.  Every  house  was  a  scaffold  ready  built 
for  any  one  that  had  a  mind  to  make  himself 
[  heard  at  a  distance. 

The  casements  of  windows  are  taken  notice 
7 


90  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


of  in  the  Proverbs,  vii,  6  ;  the  Song  of  Solomon, 
ii,  9,  and  the  story  of  the  death  of  Ahaziah  king 
of  Israel,  2  Kings  i,  2. 

When  King  Jehoiakim  burnt  the  book  which 
Jeremiah  had  written  by  the  order  of  God,  he 
was  sitting  in  his  winter  house,  with  a  fire  on  the 
hearth  burning  before  him,  Jer.  xxxvi,  22. 
Whence  one  may  judge  they  had  no  chimneys 
which  indeed  are  the  invention  of  cold  countries. 
In  hot  climates  they  were  satisfied  with  stoves 

*  The  fire  which  the  king  had  before  him,  is  supposed 
*to  have  been  in  a  movable  stove,  whence  the  Vulgate 
translates  it  arula  coram  eo,  plena  pninis;  and  therefore 
had  no  lixt  chimney  to  it.  And  that  the  ancients  had 
none,  has  been  asserted  by  several  of  the  learned,  par- 
ticularly by  Manutius,  in  Cic.  Fam.  1.  vii,  ep.  x,  and 
Lipsius,  Ep.  ad  Belgas,  iii,  75,  and  that  the  smoke  went 
out  at  the  windows,  or  at  the  tops  of  the  houses.  Cato,  j 
de  Re  Rust.  c.  xviii,  says,  focum  purum  circumversumy 
priusquam  ciibitiimeaty  habeat.  The  hearth  could  not  be  ' 
swept  round,  if  it  was,  as  with  us,  built  in  a  chimney.  ' 
Columella,  1.  xi,  e.  ult.  speaks  of  the  smoke  adhering  to  ' 
the  ceilings  over  the  hearth:  Fuligoqvce  sitprafocos  tectis 
inhœrety  coUigi  debet.  Seneca,  ep.  SO,  describes  stove 
tubes,  then  lately  invented,  placed  round  the  walls  of  the 
rooms,  to  throw  an  equal  warmth  into  them.  On  the 
other  hand,  Dan.  Barbarus,  in  his  comment  on  Vir.ru- 
vius,  and  Perrarius,  i,  9,  maintain  that  they  often  had 
chimneys  :  but  only  in  the  upper  rooms,  in  co^nationibuSf 
which  is  a  reason  why  no  remains  of  them  are  found, 
the  highest  stories  first  falling  to  ruin.  Aristophanes, 
Vesp.  i,  2,  8j  introdu<'es  an  old  man,  shut  up  by  his  son, 
endeavouring  to  escape  up  the  chimney.  Herodot.  vi«, 
pp.  57S,  579,  mentions  the  sun  shining  upon  the  hearth 
down  the  chimney:  and  Appian  B.  C.  civ,  says,  some 
of  the  proscribed  hid  themselves  in  Jakes,  some  m  wells, 
some  in  chimney's.  The  reader  may  eee  more  in  the 
above  citçd  authors. — E.  F. 


TIÎEIR  HOUSES  AND  FURNITURE.  91 


for  the  kitchen.  They  made  use  of  stone  in 
building,  especially  at  Jerusalem,  where  it  was 
very  common,  and  they  knew  how  to  cut  it  into 
very  large  pieces.  There  is  mention  made,  in 
Solomon's  buildings,  of  stones  eight  or  ten  cu- 
bits long,  that  is,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  ;^  and 
those  called  costly  stones  are  doubtless  different 
sorts  of  marble,  1  Kings  vii,  9,  10. 

The  beauty  of  their  buildings  consisted  less 
in  ornaments  placed  in  certain  parts,  than  in  the 
whole  model  ;  in  cutting  and  joining  the  stones, 
they  took  care  to  have  all  even  and  well  dress- 
ed by  the  level  and  square.  This  is  what  Ho- 
mer says  of  the  building  he  commends,  and  this 
sort  of  beauty  is  still  admired  in  the  ancient 
Egyptian  edifices.  The  Israelites  made  use  of 
fragrant  woods,  as  cedar  and  cypress,  to  wain- 
scot the  inside  Of  the  most  pompous  buildings, , 
and  out  of  these  they  made  the  ceiling  and  pil- 
lars, 2  Sam.  V,  11.  This  was  used  in  the  tem- 
ple, and  Solomon's  palaces.  Song  of  Sol.  iii,  6: 
and  David  says  that  he  dwells  in  a  house  of 
cedavj  2  Sam.  vii,  2,  to  express  the  magnifi- 
cence of  his  apartments. 

*  Josephus  says,  that  the  stones  with  which  the  tem- 
ple was  built,  "  were  white  and  strong,  fifty  feet  long, 
twenty-four  broad,  and  sixteen  in  thickness,"  Antiq.  b. 
XV,  c.  xi.  Our  Lord's  disciples  are  represented  as  struck 
with  wonder  at  seeing  such  immense  masses  wrought 
up  in  the  walls  of  the  temple,  Mark  xiii,  1. 


92 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 


CHAPTER  VIIL 
Their  Diet. 

As  to  what  regards  the  table,  the  Israelites 
ate  sitting,  as  the  Greeks  did  in  Homer's  time  : 
and  it  is  necessary  to  take  notice  of  it  to  dis- 
tinguish one  period  from  another.  For  after- 
ward, that  is  to  say,  from  the  reign  of  the  Per- 
sians, they  ate  lying  upon  beds,  Esther  i,  6,  7, 
8,  as  the  Persians  and  other  eastern  people  did  ; 
from  whom  the  Greeks  and  Romans  also  took 
the  custom.  Regular  people  did  not  eat  till 
after  their  work,  and  pretty  late.  Wherefore, 
eating  and  drinking  early  in  the  morning  signify 
intemperance  and  debauchery  in  Scripture,  Isa. 
V,  11.  Their  food  was  plain.  They  commonly 
mention  only  eating  bread  and  drinking  water  ; 
which  is  the  reason  that  the  word  bread  is 
generally  taken  in  Scripture  for  all  sorts  of 
victuals.  They  broke  their  bread  without  cut- 
ting it,  because  they  made  use  of  none  but  small, 
long  taper  rolls,  as  is  still  done  in  several  coun- 
tries.* The  first  favour  that  Boaz  showed 
Ruth,  was  to  let  her  drink  of  the  same  water 
with  his  young  men,  and  come  and  eat  with 
them,  and  dip  her  morsel  in  the  vinegar,  Ruth 
ii,  9,  14  :  and  we  see,  by  the  comphments  she 
made  in  return,  that  this  was  no  small  favour. 

+  Or  rather  thin  crisp  perforated  cakes,  called  in  Scrip- 
ture anpJ  nakudeemy  such  as  the  Jews  frequently  make 
to  the  present  day,  and  which  are  still  common  in  the 
east. 


THEIR  DIET. 


93 


We  may  judge  of  their  most  common  provi- 
sions by  the  refreshment  David  received  at  dif- 
ferent times  from  Abigail,  Ziba,  and  Barzillai, 
and  by  what  was  brought  to  him  at  Hebron, 
1  Sam.  XXV,  18  ;  2  Sam.  xvi,  1  ;  xvii,  28,  The 
sorts  there  mentioned  are  bread  and  ivine,  wheat 
and  barley,  flour  of  both,  beans,  lentiles,  parched 
corn,  raisins,  dried  figs,  honey,  butter,  oil,  sheep, 
oxen,  and  fat  calves.  There  is  in  this  account 
a  great  deal  of  corn  and  pulse,  which  was  also 
the  most  common  food  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians, and  of  the  Romans  in  the  best  times, 
when  they  gave  themselves  most  to  husbandry. 
Hence  came  the  illustrious  names  of  Fabiusy 
Pisa,  Cicero,  and  Lentulus,^  The  advice  of 
the  wise  man  shows  the  use  the  Israelites  made 
of  milk.  Take  care,  says  he,  that  thou  have 
goaVs  milk  enough  for  thy  food,  for  the  food  of 
thy  household,  and  for  maintenance  to  thy  maid^ 
ens,  Prov.  xxvii,  27. 

Though  it  was  lawful  to  eat  fish,  I  do  not  find 
that  it  is  mentioned  till  the  later  times.  It  is  be- 
lieved the  ancients  despised  it,  as  too  dainty  and 
light  food  for  robust  men.  {Plato  Rep.  iii.) 
Neither  does  Homer  speak  of  it,  or  the  Greeks, 
in  what  they  write  relating  to  the  heroic  times. 
We  hear  but  little  of  sauces,  or  high-seasoned 
dishes  among  the  Hebrews.    Their  feasts  con- 

^ *  Clem.  Alex.  2  Peedag.  I.  in  sine.  See  also  Plin.  Hist. 
Nat.  lib.  xviii,  c.  3,  where  he  shows  that  the  Pilumni 
were  so  called  for  having  invented  ihejjestley  the  Pisones 
from  pounding  the  corn  :  the  Fabii^  Cicérones  and  Ltntuli 
from  their  delighting  to  sow  and  rear  htans^  veUkes^  anU 
Untiles. 


94  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

sisted  of  substantial  weil-fed  meat  ;  and  they 
reckoned  milk  and  honey  their  greatest  dainties* 
Indeed,  before  sugar  was  brought  from  the  In- 
dies, there  was  nothing  known  more  agreeable 
to  the  taste  than  honey.  They  preserved  fruits 
in  it,  and  mixed  it  in  the  nicest  pastry.  Instead 
of  milk,  they  often  mention  butter,  that  is, 
cream,  which  is  the  finest  part  of  it.  The  offer- 
ings prescribed  by  the  law  show,  that  ever  since 
the  time  of  Moses,  they  had  divers  sorts  of 
pastry.  Lev.  ii,  4,  5,  &c,  some  kneaded  with 
oil,  others  without  it. 

And  here  we  must  not  omit  the  distinction  of 
meats  allowed  or  forbidden  by  the  law.  It 
was  not  pecuhar  to  the  Hebrews  to  abstain  from 
certain  animals  out  of  a  religious  principle  ;  the 
neighbouring  people  did  the  same.  Neither  the 
Syrians  nor  Egyptians  ate  any  fish  ;  and  some 
have  thought  it  was  superstition  that  made  the 
ancient  Greeks  not  eat  it.  The  Egyptians  of 
Thebes  would  eat  no  mutton,  because  they  wor- 
shipped Ammon  under  the  shape  of  a  ram  ; 
(Herod,  ii;)  but  they  killed  goats.  In  other 
places  they  abstained  from  goat's  flesh,  and 
sacrificed  sheep.  The  Egyptian  priests  used 
no  meat  nor  drink  imported  from  foreign  coun- 
tries :  (Porjyhyr,  Mstin.  iv  :)  and  as  to  the  pro- 
duct of  their  own,  beside  fish,  they  abstained 
from  beasts  that  have  a  round  foot,  or  divided 
into  several  toes,  or  that  have  no  horns  ;  and 
birds  that  live  upon  flesh.  Many  would  eat 
nothing  that  had  life  :  and  in  the  times  of  their 
purification  they  would  not  touch  so  much  as 


THEIR  DIET* 


95 


eggs,  herbs,  or  garden  stuff.  None  of  the 
Eo^yptians  would  eat  beans.  {Herod,  ii,)  They 
accounted  swine  unclean:  whoever  touched  one, 
though  in  passing  by,  washed  himself  and  his 
clothes.  Socrates,  in  his  Common vvealth, 
reckons  eating  swine's  flesh  among  the  super- 
fluous things  introduced  by  luxury.  {Plato  ii, 
Rep.)  Indeed,  they  are  of  no  use  but  for  the 
table.  Every  body  knows  that  the  Indian  Bra- 
mins  still  neither  eat  nor  kill  any  sort  of  animal, 
and  it  is  certain  they  have  not  done  it  for  more 
than  two  thousand  years. 

The  law  of  Moses  then  had  nothing  new  or 
extraordinary  in  this  point  :  the  design  of  it  was 
to  keep  the  people  within  reasonable  bounds, 
and  to  prevent  their  imitating  the  superstitions 
of  some  other  nations,  without  leaving  them 
quite  at  liberty,  of  which  they  might  have  made 
a  bad  use.  For  this  abstinence  from  particu- 
lar sorts  of  meat  contributed  to  the  preserva- 
tion both  of  their  health  and  morals.  It  was 
not  only  to  tame  their  untractable  spirit  that 
God  imposed  this  yoke,  but  to  wean  them  from 
things  that  might  be  prejudicial.*  They  were 
forbidden  to  eat  blood  or  fat  :  both  are  hard  of 
digestion  :  and  though  strong  working  people, 
as  the  Israelites,  might  find  less  inconvenience 
from  it  than  others,  it  was  better  to  provide 
wholesome  food  for  them,  since  it  was  a  matter 
of  option.  Swine's  flesh  lies  heavy  upon  the 
stomach,  and  affords  a  very  gross  species  of 
nutriment  :  so  do  fish  that  have  no  scales.  The 
*  See  note  on  page  24. 


96  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


solid  part  is  fat  and  oily,  whether  it  be  tender!^ 
as  that  of  eels,  or  hard  as  that  of  tunny,  \vhale<> 
or  others  of  the  same  kind.  Thus  we  may 
easily  account  for  most  of  these  things  being 
forbidden,  as  Clemens  Alexandrinus  has  ob- 
served. (2  Pœd.  1.  Cassian.  Instit.  5.) 

As  to  the  moral  reasons,  all  sensible  people 
have  ever  reckoned  gluttony  a  vice  that  ought 
principally  to  be  guarded  against,  as  the  begin- 
ning of  most  others.  The  Socratic  philoso- 
phers strongly  recommended  temperance  :  and 
Plato  despaired  of  reforming  the  manners  of  the 
Sicilians,  so  long  as  they  ate  tivo  great  meals 
a  day.*  {Plat.  Ep.  vii,  in  Init.) 

It  is  supposed,  that  what  Pythagoras  aimed 
at  by  enjoining  abstinence,  was  to  make  men 
just  and  disinterested,  in  using  themselves  to 
live  on  a  little.  Now,  one  of  the  chief  branches 
of  guttony  is  a  desire  of  variety  of  dishes.  Too 
much  soon  palls  ;  but,  as  variety  is  infinite,  the 
desire  after  it  is  insatiable.  Tertullian  com- 
prehends all  these  reasons  in  the  following  pas- 
sage :  "  If  the  law  takes  away  the  use  of  some 
sorts  of  meat,  and  pronounces  creatures  unclean< 
that  were  formerly  held  quite  otherwise,  let  us 
consider  that  the  design  is  to  inure  them  tO' 
temperance,  and  look  upon  it  as  a  restraint  laid 
upon  gluttons,  who  hankered  after  the  cucum- 

*  But  had  he  lived  in  these  latter  limes,  how  great 
must  his  astonishment  have  been,  to  find  persons,  Chris- 
tians, professing  the  utmost  purity  of  manners  and  ele- 
vation of  mind,  feeding  themselves  four,  yca>  six  or  sereîA 
times  in  the  day  I 


THEIR  PURIFICATIONS.  97 


bers  and  melons  of  Egypt,  while  they  were  eat- 
ing the  food  of  angels.  Let  us  consider  it  too 
as  a  remedy  at  the  same  time  against  excess  and 
impurity,  the  usual  attendants  of  gluttony.  It 
was  partly  likewise  to  extinguish  the  love  of 
money,  by  taking  away  the  pretence  of  its  being 
necessary  for  providing  of  sustenance.  It  was, 
finally,  to  enable  men  to  fast  with  less  inconve- 
nience upon  religious  occasions,  by  using  them 
to  a  moderate  and  plain  diet."  {Tertullian  adv^ 
Marc,  \ih,  ii,  cap.  18,  in  fine.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Their  Purifications, 

The  purifications  prescribed  by  the  law  had 
the  same  foundation  as  the  distinction  of  meats. 
The  neighbouring  people  practised  some  of  the 
hke  nature  :  among  others  the  Egyptians,  whose 
priests  shaved  off*  all  their  hair  every  three 
days,  and  washed  their  bodies  all  over  twice  in 
the  night,  and  two  or  three  times  a  day.  {Herod, 
1.  ii,  Porphyr.  de  Ahslin,)  The  legal  purifica- 
tions of  the  Israelites  were  of  advantage  in  pre- 
serving both  their  health  and  morals.  The 
cleanness  of  the  body  is  a  symbol  of  the  purity 
of  the  soul  ;  which  is  the  reason  that  some  de- 
vout people  have  affected  to  be  dirty,  to  make 
themselves  more  despicable,  and  to  show  the 
plainer  by  their  outward  appearance,  the  abhor- 
rence they  had  of  their  sins.  Thence  too,  ex- 
ternal purification  is  called  sanclificalion^  be- 


98         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


cause  it  makes  those  observe,  at  least,  an 
outward  purity,  who  draw  near  to  holy  things. 
Nay,  one  may  venture  to  say,  that  cleanliness 
is  a  natural  consequence  of  virtue  ;  since  filthi- 
ness,  for  the  most  part,  proceeds  only  from 
sloth  and  meanness  of  spirit."^ 

Beside,  cleanliness  is  necessary  to  preserve 
health  and  prevent  sickness,  especially  in  hot 
countries  :  accordingly  we  find  people  gene- 
rally cleaner  there.  Heat  inclines  them  to 
strip  themselves,  to  bajhe,  and  often  change 
their  clothes.  But  in  the  cold  countries  we 
are  afraid  both  of  the  air  and  water,  and  are 
more  benumbed  and  sluggish.  It  is  certain,  the 
Hastiness  in  which  most  of  our  lower  sort  of 
people  live,  especially  the  poorest  and  those  that 
are  in  towns,  either  causes  or  increases  many 
distempers.  What  would  be  the  consequence 
then  in  hot  countries,  where  the  air  is  sooner 
corrupted,  and  the  water  more  scarce  ?  Beside, 
the  ancients  made  but  little  use  of  linen;  and 
woollen  is  not  so  easy  to  be  cleansed. 

Here  let  us  admire  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  God,  who  ^ave  his  people  laws  that  were  use- 
ful so  many  different  ways  :  for  they  served  alto- 
gether to  inure  them  to  obedience,  to  keep  them 
from  superstition,  to  improve  their  manners, 
and  preserve  their  health.    Thus,  in  the  forma- 

*  A  great  man  has  asserted,  "  that  cleanliness  is  next 
to  godliness."  And  we  generally  find  cleanliness  prac- 
tised in  proportion  to  the  prevalence  of  the  spirit  of 
genuine  piety.  Christianity  disowns  the  slothful  and 
the  filthy,  as  well  as  the  dishonest  and  the  impure. 


THEIR  PURIFICATIONS, 


99 


tion  of  plants  and  animals,  we  see  nnany  parts 
serve  for  different  uses.  Now,  it  was  a  matter 
of  consequence  that  the  precepts  that  enjoined 
cleanliness  should  make  a  part  of  their  religion; 
for  as  they  related  to  what  was  done  within 
doors,  and  the  most  secret  actions  of  life,  no- 
thing but  the  fear  of  G  od  could  keep  the  people 
from  transgressing  them.  Yet  God  formed 
their  conscience  by  these  sensible  things,  and 
made  it  familiar  to  them  to  own  that  nothing  is 
hidden  from  him,  and  that  it  is  not  sufficient  to 
be  pure  in  the  eyes  of  men  alone.  Tertullian 
understands  these  laws  so  when  he  says,  "  He 
has  prescribed  every  thing,  even  in  the  common 
transactions  of  life,  and  the  behaviour  of  men 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  so  far  as  to  take 
notice  of  their  very  furniture  and  vessels  ;  so 
that  meeting  every  where  the  precepts  of  the 
law,  they  might  not  be  one  moment  without  the 
fear  of  God  before  them."  And  afterward,  "to 
aid  this  law,  which  was  rather  light  than  bur- 
densome, the  same  goodness  of  God  also  insti- 
tuted prophets,  who  taught  maxims  worthy  of 
him.  (In  Marc.  1.  ii,  c.  19.)  '  Wash  y make 
ye  clean^  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from 
before  mine  eyes,  c^c,'  Isa.  i,  16.  So  that  the 
people  were  sufficiently  instructed  in  the  mean- 
ing of  all  these  ceremonies,  and  outward  per- 
formances. 

This  is  the  foundation  of  those  laws  which 
order  bathing  and  washing  one's  clothes  after 
having  touched  a  dead  body,  or  unclean  crea- 
ture, and  upon  several  other  accidents,  Lev* 


100       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


Xi,  24,  &C  ;  xiii,  58  j  Numb.  xxxif23.  Xbenc6 
comes  the  purifying  of  vessels  by  water  or  fire, 
and  of  houses  where  there  appeared  any  corrup- 
tion, and  of  women  after  child  bearing,  and  the 
separation  of  lepers,  Lev.  xiv,  48;  xii,  1,  &c  ; 
xiii,  1,  &c  ;  though  the  white  leprosy,  which  is 
the  only  sort  mentioned  in  Scripture,  is  rather  a 
deformity  than  an  infectious  disease.  {Aug.  ii, 
QuœsL  Evang.  40.) 

It  belonged  to  the  priests  to  separate  lepers, 
to  judge  of  other  legal  impurities,  and  to  order 
the  manner  of  their  cleansing.  Thus  they  prac- 
tised a  branch  of  physic  ;  and  though  physi- 
cians are  sometimes  mentioned  in  Scripture, 
Gen.  1,  2  ;  2  Chron.  xvi,  12  ;  Job  xiii,  4;  Jer. 
viii,  22  ;  Isaiah  iii,  7  ;  it  is  probable  surgeons 
are  meant  :  for  the  ancients  made  no  distinction 
between  these  two  professions.  The  law  speaks 
of  them  when  it  condemns  him  that  hurts  ano- 
ther to  pay  the  physician's  charges,  Exod.  xxi, 
19  :  and  in  other  places  we  read  of  bandages, 
plasters,  and  ointments,  Isa.  i,  6  ;  Jer.  viii,  22  ; 
xlvi,  11  ;  but  nowhere  that  I  can  tell,  of  purges, 
or  a  course  of  physic.  King  Asa,  who  had  the 
gout,  is  blamed  for  putting  too  much  confidence 
in  physicians,  2  Chron.  xvi,  12.  Perhaps  the 
Israelites  still  followed  the  same  maxims  as  the 
Greeks  of  the  heroic  ages,  when  physicians, 
as  Plato,  iii,  Rep.  informs  us,  applied  them- 
selves to  nothing  but  healing  wounds  by  tropi- 
cal remedies,  without  prescribing  a  regimen  ; 
supposing  that  other  illnesses  would  be  pre- 
vented or  easily  got  over  by  a  good  constitution. 


THEIR  PURIFICATIONS. 


101 


and  the  prudent  management  of  the  sick.  As 
for  wounds,  they  must  of  necessity  happen 
sometimes  from  divers  accidents,  even  in  the 
course  of  hard  labour  only. 

The  Israehtes  avoided  conversing  with  stran- 
gers, and  it  was  a  consequence  of  those  laws 
that  enjoined  purifications  and  distinction  of 
meats.  For  though  most  of  their  neighbours 
had  similar  customs,  they  were  not  altogether 
the  same.  Thus,  an  Israelite  had  always  a 
right  to  presume  that  any  stranger  he  met  with 
had  eaten  swine's  flesh,  or  the  sacrifices  ofl^ered 
to  idols,  or  had  touched  some  unclean  beast. 
Whence  it  came  that  it  was  not  lawful  to  eat 
with  them,  nor  to  go  into  their  houses.  This 
distance  was  also  of  consequence  to  their  mo- 
rals, serving  as  a  fence  against  too  great  a  fami- 
liarity with  strangers,  which  is  always  pernicious 
to  the  generality,  and  which  was  still  more  so 
at  that  time  because  of  idolatry.  The  Egyp- 
tians were  strict  observers  of  this  maxim  :  the 
Scripture  takes  notice  that  they  would  not  eat 
with  the  Hebrews,  Gen.  xliii,  32,  and  Herodotus 
says,  they  would  neither  salute  a  Greek,  nor 
make  use  of  his  knife  or  plate.*  The  Moham- 
medans have  several  customs  of  the  same 
nature  at  this  day  ;  but  the  Hindoos  have  more, 
and  observe  them  with  the  greatest  superstition.'^ 

*  Herod  ii.  This  superstition  the  Egyptians  carried 
so  far  that  they  would  not  eat  the  flesh  even  of  a  clean 
animal  that  had  been  cut  up  with  the  knife  of  a  Greek, 

t  For  several  of  these  customs  see  the  supplementary- 
chapter. 


102       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


They  did  not  keep  at  an  equal  distance  from 
all  sorts  of  strangers,  though  they  comprehended 
them  all  under  the  name  of  Goim  or  Gentiles. 
They  abhorred  all  idolaters,  especially  those 
that  were  not  circumcised  :  for  they  were  not 
the  only  people  that  practised  circumcision  ;  it 
was  used  by  all  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
as  the  Ishmaelites,  Midianites,  and  Idumeans  ; 
and  the  Ammonites  and  Moabites  that  were 
descended  from  Lot.  The  Egyptians  them- 
selves, though  their  original  was  in  no  case  the 
same  with  the  Hebrews,  looked  upon  circum- 
cision as  a  necessary  purification,  and  held 
those  unclean  that  were  not  circumcised.*  As 
for  the  Israelites,  they  bore  with  the  uncircum- 
cised  that  worshipped  the  true  God,  so  far  as 
to  let  them  dwell  in  their  lands,  provided  they 
obs'erved  the  laws  of  nature,  and  abstinence 
from  blood.  But  if  they  got  themselves  circum- 
cised they  were  reputed  children  of  Abraham, 
and  consequently  obliged  to  observe  the  whole 
law  of  Moses.  The  rabbins  call  these  last  pro- 
selytes of  justice  ;  and  the  faithful  that  were  not 
circumcised,  they  call  proselytes  by  abode,  or 
JVoachides,  {Selden  de  Jure  jVaf.,)  as  being 
obliged  to  observe  no  precepts  but  those  that 
God  gave  to  Noah  when  he  came  out  of  the 

*  Herod,  lib.  2,  p.  116,  edit.  Steph.  1592.  The  same 
author  says,  that  the  Colchians,  Egyptians,  and  Ethio- 
pians are  the  only  nations  in  the  world  who  have  used 
circumcision  from  the  remotest  period,  an  apxriç  and 
that  the  Phenicians  and  the  Syrians  who  inhabit  Pales- 
tine acknowledge  they  received  this  from  the  Egyptians. 
Ibid.  p.  143. 


THEIR  PURIFICATIONS. 


103 


ark.  In  Solomon's  time  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  thousand  six  hundred  pro- 
selytes in  the  land  of  Israel,  2  Chron.  ii,  17. 

The  strangers  that  the  Israelites  were  most 
of  all  obliged  to  avoid  were  the  nations  that  lay 
under  a  curse,  çis  descended  from  Canaan, 
whom  God  had  commanded  them  to  root  out. 
I  find  none  but  them,  as  I  said  before,  with 
whom  it  was  not  lawful  to  marry,  Exod.  xxxiv, 
16  ;  Deut.  vii,  3.  Moses  married  a  Midianite.* 
Boaz  is  commended  for  having  married  Ruth 
the  Moabite.  Absalom's  mother  was  the  king 
of  Geshur's  daughter,  2  Sam.  iii,  3.  Amasa  was 
the  son  of  an  Ishmaelite,  and  of  Abigail,  David's 
sister,  1  Chron.  ii,  17.  Solomon  married  the 
king  of  Egypt's  daughter,  soon  after  he  came 
to  the  crown,  and  at  the  time  when  he  was 
most  in  God's  favour,  1  Kings  iii,  1  :  there- 
fore what  the  Scripture  afterward  says,  to  blame 
his  marrying  with  strange  women,  must  be 
understood  of  the  Canaanitish  women  whom  he 
married,  and  that  instead  of  endeavouring  to 

*  If  our  author's  commetît  be  right,  Dr.  Warburton  is 
mistaken  in  saying  Solomon  transgressed  a  law  of  Moses, 
when  he  njarried  Pharaoh's  daughter.  Div.  Leg.  book 
iv,  sect.  V,  2d  edit.  And  Dr.  Jonin  mipjht  less  admire 
Theodorei's  parallel  between  Moses  and  Christ,  in  that 
the  former  married  an  Eihiopian  woman,  and  the  latter 
espoused  the  Church  of  the  Gentiles.  There  was  no- 
thing so  particular  in  the  marriage  of  Moses  :  and  if 
there  had  been,  the  similitude,  1  think,  would  have  been 
closer,  if  Moses  had  married  two  wives,  for  the  Jews 
were  the  first  fruits  of  the  Gospel.  See  Dr.  Jortin's 
Remarks  on  Ecelea,  Hitt.  vol.  i,  p.  209. — E.  F. 


Î04       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


convert  them,  he  paid  them  such  a  criminal 
complaisance  as  to  worship  their  idols,  1  Kings 
xi,  1. 

Much  more  were  marriages  free  among  the 
Israelites,  and' it  was  not  necessary  for  every 
one  to  marry  in  his  own  tribe,  as  many,  even  of 
the  fathers  of  the  Church,  have  thought.  This 
law  was  peculiar  to  heiresses,  that  inheritances 
might  not  be  confounded.*  Beside,  David 
married  Michal,  the  daughter  of  Saul,  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin  :  and  another  of  his  wives 
was  Ahinoam  of  Jezreel,  a  city  of  the  tribe  of 
Ephraim,  2  Sam.  iii,  2. 

*  Heiresses  were  obliged  to  marry  not  only  within 
their  own  tribe  but  within  their  own  /am%,  Numb, 
xxxvi,  6.  Let  them  marry  to  whom  they  think  best,  only 
to  the  FAMILY  o/  the  tribe  (or  house)  of  their  fathers  shall 
they  marry.  And  that  the  Jews  so  understood  the  law, 
appears  from  Judiih  vii?,  2  ;  Tobit  iii,  15.  This  I 
chose  to  observe,  because  a  late  ingenious  writer,  who 
would  seem  to  have  examined  this  point,  says.  It  does  not 
appear  that  there  ivas  any  other  obligation  even  upon  heir- 
esses, than  to  marry  only  within  their  own  tribe.  (Dr. 
Middleton's  reflections  on  the  inconsistencies  which  are 
found  in  the  four  Evangelists,  in  his  work?,  8vo,  vol.  ii,  p. 
309.)  Not  only  the  words  of  the  law  and  the  practice  of 
the  Jews,  but  Grotius,  and  the  other  commeniators 
which  he  had  before  him,  expressly  taught  him  other- 
wise. See  likewise  Kidder's  Dem.  of  the  Messiah,  part 
ii,  pp.  416,417,  where  the  reader,  if  he  pleases,  may  find 
three  or  four  other  of  the  doctor's  assertions  fully  con- 
futed,—E.  F. 


PURlFICATIOiSfS  OF  THE  HINDOOS,  &C.  lOè 


SUPPLEMENT  TO  CHAPTER  IX. 

On  the  Purifications  of  the  Hindoos  and  JSIo* 
hammedanSi  referred  4o  p.  101. 

Purifications  among  the  Hindoos  make  an 
essential  part  of  religion.  Several  of  those  at 
present  in  use  among  this  people,  are  dictated 
by  common  sense  and  expediency  ;  but  the  far 
greater  part  are  the  issue  of  the  grossest  supci- 
stition.  In  this  latter  class  are  found  many 
that  are  absurd,  nugatory,  and  ridiculous.  The 
following,  which  I  have  extracted  from  the 
Ayeen  Jlkbery,  will  exhibit  a  satisfactory  view 
of  this  subject. 

The  soul,  say  the  Hindoo  sages,  is  purified 
by  knawledge,  and  religious  worship.  A 
drunkard  is  purified  by  melted  glass.  When 
the  body  is  defiled  by  any  impurity  that  pro- 
ceeds from  itself,  it  is  purified  by  earth  and  wa- 
ter, and  by  washing  the  teeth  and  eyes.  Water 
that  has  been  defiled  by  the  shadow  of  an 
impure  person,  is  purified  by  sunshine,  moon- 
shine, or  wind.  If  any  filth  falls  from  an  ani- 
mal into  a  well,  they  must  draw  out  sixty  jars 
of  water  ;  and  if  the  same  accident  happen  to 
a  pond,  they  must  take  out  one  hundred  jars. 
If  any  filth  falls  into  oil,  it  must  be  boiled. — 
Cotton,  molasses,  or  grain,  after  separating 
whatever  had  defiled  it,  must  be  sprinkled  with 
water.  Gold,  silver,  stone,  vegetables,  silk, 
and  whaft^fexer  grows  in  the  earth,  are  purified 
by  being  Washed  in  water.  If  they  have  been 
8 


i06         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

defiled  by  unclean  oil,  they  must  be  washed  in 
hot  water.  Wooden  vessels,  if  touched  by  an 
impure  person,  cannot  be  purified  by  any  means. 
But  if  they  are  touched  by  another  unclean 
thing,  or  by  a  Sooder^  (one  of  the  inferior  Hin- 
doo casts,)  they  may  be  purified  by  ^ scraping. 
The  same  rule  is  to  be  observed  of  bone  or 
horn.  Any  stone  vessel  that  has  been  defiled, 
after  being  washed,  must  be  buried  for  seven 
days.  A  sieve,  or  pestle  and  mortar,  is  purified 
by  being  sprinkled  with  water.  An  earthen 
Vessel  is  purified  by  being  heated  in  the  fire.  The 
earth  is  cleansed  by  sweeping,  or  by  washing, 
or  by  lighting  a  fire  upon  it  ;  or  if  a  cow  lies 
down  upon  it^  or  walks  over  it,  or  in  time  it 
will  purify  itself.  If  a  cow  touches  any  food 
with  her  mouth,  or  a  hair,  a  fly,  or  any  other 
insect  falls  therein,  it  is  purified  by  ashes  or 
water.  If  it  is  defiled  by  any  filth  falling  off 
the  body  of  the  person  who  is  eating,  he  must 
wash  it  with  water,  or  scour  it  with  earth  till  it 
is  perfectly  clean.  If  a  man  defile  himself  in 
the  upper  parts  of  the  body,  excepting  the 
hands,  he  must  scour  himself  with  earth,  and 
bathe.  If  he  defiles  himself  in  the  lower  parts 
he  is  purified  by  washing  the  parts.  If  he  is 
defiled  by  drinking  wine,  or  by  having  connec- 
tion with  an  impure  woman,  or  by  any  human 
excrement,  he  is  purified  by  washing,  scouring 
with  earth,  and  by  washing  again,  if  below  the 
navel  ;  but  if  it  happens  above  the  navel,  then 
after  the  second  washing,  he  must  anoint  the 
parts  with  ghee,  {clarified  butter^)  cow's  milk 


PURIFICATIONS  OF  THE  HINDOOS,  &C.  107 

and  curds,  and  cow's  dung  and  urine,  and  he 
must  also  drink  three  handfuls  of  river  water. 
If  he  is  defiled  by  the  touch  of  a  washerman, 
or  a  dealer  in  leather,  or  an  executioner,  or  a 
hunter,  Or  a  fisherman,  or  an  oilman,  or  a  tame 
dog,  he  is  purified  by  water  alone.  But  if  he 
touch  an  unclean  woman,  a  sweeper,  a  sinner, 
a  corpse,  a  dog,  ass,  cat,  crow,  cock,  or  hen, 
or  a  mouse,  or  a  camel,  or  is  defiled  by  the 
smoke  of  a  corpse  that  is  burning  ;  or  by  the 
dust  shaken  off  an  ass,  dog,  sheep,  or  goat,  he 
must  go  into  the  water  with  his  clothes  on, 
look  at  the  sun,  and  repeat  some  particular 
prayers.  If  he  touches  human  fat  or  bone,  he 
must  bathe  with  his  clothes  on  ;  or  drink  three 
handfuls  of  water  ;  or  look  at  the  sun  ;  or  put 
his  hand  upon  a  cow.  If  he  is  soiled  with 
the  blood  of  clean  animals,  he  is  purified  by 
scouring  himself  with  earth  and  water.  If 
a  garment  of  wool  or  silk  is  polluted  by  such 
things  as  would  require  a  man,  if  touched,  to 
bathe,  it  is  purified  by  the  wind  or  sunshine. 
{Jiyeen  Akbery,  v.  iii,  p.  243.) 

Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  if  that 
pure  and  rational  system  of  salvation,  laid 
down  in  the  Christian  Scriptures,  were  fairly 
proposed  to  a  people  groaning  under  such  bur- 
thensome  and  useless  rites,  it  would  be  most 
joyfully  received?  But,  alas!  so  perverted  is 
the  soul  of  man,  that  he  would  rather  spend 
his  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  his 
labour  for  that  which  satisfieth  not,"  than 
receive  the  salvation  of  God,  "  without  money 
and  without  price." 


108         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES* 


Among  the  Mohammedans  purification  is 
considered  as  essential  to  devotion,  and  the  key 
of  prayer,  without  which  it  is  of  no  effect.  It  is 
of  two  descriptions,  the  ghosse,  or  complete 
ablution  of  the  whole  body  ;  and  the  ivazoo,  or 
washing  of  the  hands  and  feet  on  particular 
occasions,  and  after  a  particular  manner.  In 
many  respects  the  purifications  among  the 
Mohammedans  are  similar  to  those  among  the 
Jews.  Indeed  Mohamnied  copied  many  from 
t'li-  Jewish  Scriptures,  of  which  he  made  a 
pretty  extensive  use  in  composing  his  Koran. 
(See  the  Hedatja  PreL  Disc.  p.  liii.) 


GHAPTFR  X. 

Their  Women  and  JWarriages, 

From  the  manner  in  whit:h  the  Israelites 
lived,  marriage  was  no  incumbrance  to  them  ; 
it  was  rather  a  convenience,  for  which  it  was 
originally  designed.  The  women  were  labori- 
ous as  well  as  the  men,  and  wrought  in  the 
house,  while  their  husbands  were  at  work  in 
the  field.*  They  dressed  the  victuals,  and 
served  them  up,  as  appears  from  Homer  and 
several  passages  in  Scripture.  When  Samuel 
describes  the  manners  of  the  kings  to  the  peo- 
ple, he  says,  Your  kings  ivill  take  your  daughters 

+  We  learn  from  Herodotus,  lib.  ii,  p.  115,  edition 
Steph.  1592,  that  the  Egyptian  women  were  treated  in 
the  same  way. 


THEIR  WOMEN  AND  MARRIAGES.  109 


to  be  confectioners,  and  to  be  cooks,  and  to  be 
bakers,  1  Sam.  viii,  13.  The  pretence  which 
Amnon,  the  son  of  David,  made  use  of  to  get 
his  sister  Tamar  near  him  when  he  debauched 
her,  was  that  he  might  eat  meat  at  her  hands, 
2  Sam.  xiii,  6,  which  she  dressed  herself,  not- 
withstanding she  was  a  king's  daughter. 

The  women  made  wearing  apparel  ;  and  their 
common  employment  was  weaving  stuffs,  as 
making  cloth  and  tapestry  is  now.  We  see  in 
Homer  the  instances  of  Penelope,  Calypso,  and 
Circe.  There  are  examples  of  it  in  Theocritus, 
Terence,  and  many  other  authors.  {Theoc» 
léyïl»  15,  Ter.  Heaut.  Act.  ii,  sec.  2.)  But 
what  appears  most  wonderful  to  me  is,  that  this 
custom  was  still  retained  at  Rome,  among  the 
greatest  ladies,  in  a  very  corrupt  age  :  since 
Augustus  commonly  wore  clothes  of  his  wife's, 
sister's,  and  daughter's  making.  {Sent,  Aug. 
73.)  For  a  proof  out  of  Scripture,  ifr  is  said 
that  Samuel's  mother  made  him  a  little  coat, 
which  she  brought  him  upon  festival  days, 
1  Sam.  ii,  19  ;  and  we  see  the  virtuous  wife 
in  the  Proverbs  seeking  wool  and  flax,  and  lay- 
ing her  hands  to  the  spindle,  Prov.  xxxi,  13, 
and  19,  and  21,  and  giving  two  suits  of  clothes 
to  all  her  servants.* 

*  Here  our  author  follows  the  Vulgate,  which  trans- 
lates Prov.  XXX,  21, — Omnes  enim  domestici  ejus  vestiti 
sunt  duplicibus;  and  we,  for  all  her  househM  mre  clothed 
with  scarlet;  and  in  the  margin,  or  double  gaYmenis  ; 
for  OOK^  signifies  either. — E.  F.  But  double  clothing 
seems  to  be  chiefly  intended,  because  the  clothing  re- 


110 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


All  this  work  is  done  under  shelter,  and  iri 
the  house,  and  does  not  require  great  strength 
of  body  :  for  which  reason  the  ancients  did  not 
think  them  fit  employments  for  men,  but  left 
them  to  the  women,  as  naturally  more  inclined 
to  stay  in  the  house,  and  neater,  and  fonder  of 
such  sort  of  things.  And  this  is  probably  the  rea- 
son why  women  were  generally  doorkeepers,  even 
to  kings.  There  was  only  one  servant  maid  at 
the  gate  of  King  Ishbosheth,*  who  was  busy  in 
picking  corn.  And  David,  when  he  fled  before 
Absalom,  left  ten  women,  who  were  his  concu- 
bines, to  keep  his  palace,  2  Sam.  xv,  16.  The 
women  lived  separated  from  the  men,  and  very 
retired,  especially  widows.  Judith  lived  in  this 
manner,  shut  up  with  her  women  in  an  apart- 
ment upon  the  top  of  the  house,  Judith  viii, 
4,  5,  and  so  did  Penelope  in  Homer.  {Odyss. 
1.  i,  V.  328-330.) 

The  Israelites  made  great  feasts  and  re- 
ferred to  is  for  a  defence  from  the  cold;  in  which  case 
scarlet  could  avail  no  more  than  any  other  colour  ;  there- 
fore oiw  translation  is  evidently  improper. 

*  Et  ostiaria  domus  purgans  triticum  obdormivit, 
2  Sam.  iv,  5.  The  reader  must  not  expect  to  find  this 
in  our  Bible,  because  the  Hebrew  has  it  not.  The  Vul- 
gate took  it  from  the  Seventy.  However,  what  our 
author  asserts  is  notorious  :  for  the  women  spoken  of, 
Exod.  XXX  viii,  8,  were  probably  doorkeepers,  as  well  as 
those  loho  assembled  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregatioriy  1  Sam.  ii,  22.  Athenaeus  says  the  keep- 
ers of  the  king's  palace  in  Persia  were  women,  1.  xii, 
Deipnos.  c.  ii,  and  Chardin  says  it  was  so  lately.  And 
the  damsel  that  kept  thedoor^  in  the  Gospel,  John  xviii,  17, 
«very  body  remembers. — É.  F, 


THEIR  WOMEN  AND  MARRIAGES.  Ill 


joicings  at  their  weddings.  They  were  so 
dressed  out,  that  David  could  find  no  fitter 
comparison  to  describe  the  splendour  of  the 
sun  by,  than  that  of  a  bridegroom.  The  feast 
lasted  seven  days  ;  which  we  see  as  early  as 
the  times  of  the  patriarchs.  When  Jacob  com- 
plained that  they  had  given  him  Leah  for  Ra- 
chel, Laban  said  to  Rim,  Fulfil  the  week  of  the 
marriage^  Gen.  xxix,  27.  Samson,  having 
married  a  Philistine,  made  feasts  for  seven 
days,  and  the  seventh  day  the  feast  ended,  Judg. 
xiv,  12^  &c.  When  young  Tobias  had  a  mind 
to  go  home,  his  father-in-law  pressed  him  to 
stay  two  weeks,  doubling  the  usual  time,  be- 
cause they  were  never  to  see  one  another  again, 
Tobit  viii,  20.  This  is  the  constant  tradition  of 
the  Jews,  and  their  practice  is  agreeable  to  it. 
{Cod,  Talm,  Pirke  Aboth,  cap.  xvi.)  Whoever 
thoroughly  studies  the  Song  of  Solomon,  will 
find  seven  days  plainly  pointed  out,  to  represent 
the  first  week  of  his  marriage.  (Seld.  Uxor. 
Heh.  ii,  c.  3  ;  Buxtorf.  Syn,  Jud.  c.  28.) 

We  see  in  the  same  Song,  the  friends  of  the 
bridegroom  and  the  companions  of  the  bride, 
who  were  always  at  the  feast.  Song  of  Solomon 
V,  1.  He  had  young  men  to  rejoice  with  him,  and 
she,  young  women,  Judg.  xiv,  11.  In  the  Gos- 
pel, there  is  mention  made  of  the  bridegroom's 
friends,  and  of  the  virgins  who  went  forth  to 
meet  the  bride  and  bridegroom.  Matt,  ix,  15  ; 
XXV,  1,  &c.  He  wore  a  crown  in  token  of  joy, 
and  she  too,*  according  to  the  Jewish  tradition. 

^  Isa.  Ixi,  10.    Tlie  Chaldee  paraphrast  renders  it,  as 


112         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

They  were  conducted  with  instruments  of  mu- 
sic, and  their  company  carried  branches  of  myr- 
tle and  palm  tree  in  their  hands.  {Pirke  Moth, 
c.  xix  ;  Seidell,  c.  xv.) 

As  for  any  thing  farther,  we  do  not  find  that 
their  marriages  were  attended  with  any  religious 
ceremony^  except  the  prayers  of  the  father  of 
the  family,  and  the  standers  by,  to  intreat  the 
blessing  of  God.  We  have  examples  of  it  in 
the  marriage  of  Rebecca  with  Isaac,  Genesis 
xxiv,  60,  of  Ruth  with  Boaz,  Ruth  iv,  11,  and 
of  Sara  with  Tobias,  Tobit  vii,  13.  We  do  not 
see  that  there  were  any  sacrifices  offered  upon 
the  occasion  ;  or  that  they  went  to  the  temple, 
or  sent  for  the  priests  :  all  was  transacted  be- 
tween the  relations  and  friends  :  so  that  it  was 
no  more  than  a  civil  contract. 

As  to  circumcision,  it  was  really  a  religious 
act,  and  absolutely  necessary,  at  that  time,  for 
all  that  would  enter  into  the  covenant  of  Abra- 
ham. (See  part  iv,  chap,  1.)  But  yet  it  was 
performed  in  private  houses,  without  the  minis- 
try of  priests  or  Lévites.  If  any  body  of  a  pub- 
lic character  was  sent  for,  it  was  a  sort  of  sur- 
geon used  to  the  operation,  whom  they  called 
mohel  :  and  such  sort  of  people  the  Jews  have 
still.*    In  all  these  ceremonies  we  n)ust  take 

the  high  priest  is  adorned  with  his  vestments,  1  hat  is,  mag- 
nificently, which  ilie  Vulgate  translates,  quasi  sponswn 
decoratum  corona,  and  the  Seventy  in  the  same  manner: 
and  them  our  author  follows,  accordingto  custom. — E.  F. 

*  VmD  niohel,  a  circumci  er,  from  the  Chaldee  '?nD 
mahal,  he  circumcised.  When  the  operator  has  per- 
formed the  act,  he  pronounces  the  following  benediction  : 


THEIR  WOMEN  AND  MARRIAGES,  IIB 

care  not  to  be  imposed  upon  by  modern  pic- 
tures, as  I  said  about  clothes. 

The  IsraeUtes  were  so  far  from  being  afraid 
of  plenty  of  children^  that  it  was  what  they 
wished  for.  Beside  their  natural  inclination, 
they  had  great  motives  to  it  from  the  law.  They 
knew  that  God,  when  he  created  the  world,  and 
repaired  it  after  the  deluge,  had  said,  Increase 
and  multiply  in  the  earth  ;  that  he  had  promised 
Abraham  a  numerous  posterity  :  in  a  word,  that 
from  among  them  was  to  be  born  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  ;  we  may  add  to  this,  that  they  were 
not  influenced  by  those  sordid  considerations, 
which  cause  the  blessing  of  children  to  be  looked 
on  in  the  present  day  as  a  misfortune. 

By  reason  of  their  frugal  way  of  life,  they 
were  at  small  expense  in  feeding  them  while 
they  were  little  ;  and  less  in  clothing  them,  for 
in  those  hot  countries  they  often  let  them  go 
naked  ;  and  when  they  grew  up  they  helped 
them  in  their  work,  and  saved  the  expense  of 
slaves  or  hired  servants  ;  and  indeed  they  had 
but  few  slaves  in  proportion  to  their  work. 
Ziba,  SauPs  servant,  ploughed  Mephibosheth's 
estate  with  his  fifteen  sons  and  twenty  servants, 
2  Sam.  ix,  10.  They  were  in  no  pain  about 
providing  for  their  children,  since  they  had  no 
fortunes  to  raise  for  them  :  all  their  ambition 

OLord  our  Gody  the  God  of  our  father  s  y  strengthen  this 
childy  and  preserve  him  to  his  parents  ;  and  let  his  name 

among  the  people  of  Israel  be  (here  the  name  is  first 

given.)  Let  his  father  rejoice  and  be  glad  for  that  which 
is  descended  from  his  loins  ;  and  let  his  mother  be  delight- 
ed with  the  fruit  of  her  w&mb. 


114         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

was  to  leave  their  children  the  inheritance  they 
had  received  from  their  ancestors,  better  culti- 
vated if  possible,  and  with  a  larger  stock  upon 
it.  As  for  the  daughters,  they  never  inherited 
but  in  default  of  male  issue,  Numb,  xxvii,  8  ; 
they  were  sought  in  marriage  more  upon  ac- 
count of  their  families  than  their  riches. 

It  was  therefore  a  convenience,  as  well  as  an 
honour,  to  have  a  great  many  children.  He 
was  esteemed  happy,  who  saw  himself  father  of 
a  large  family,  Psa.  cxxvii,  3,  4,  6,  and  sur- 
rounded with  a  great  number  of  children  and 
grandchildren,  always  ready  to  receive  his  in- 
structions and  execute  his  commands,  and  was 
under  no  apprehension  of  having  his  name  for- 
gotten while  his  posterity  subsisted.  Cliildren^s 
children  are  the  crown  of  old  men,  Prov.  xvii,  6, 
says  the  Scripture  ;  and  when  ijt  takes  notice  of 
the  number  of  children,  it  is  commonly  praise 
of  their  parents  :  as  those  two  judges  of  Israel, 
one  of  whom  had  thirty  sons,  the  other  forty, 
and  thirty  grandsons,  Judg.  x,  4  ;  xii,  14  ;  as 
David,  nineteen  of  whose  sons  are  named, 
1  Chron.  iii,  1,  &c,  beside  those  that  he  had  by 
his  concubines  ;  Rehoboam,  who  had  twenty- 
eight  sons  and  sixty  daughters,  2  Chron.  xi,  21, 
and  Abia,  who  had  twenty-two  sons  and  six- 
teen daughters,  2  Chron.  xiii,  21.  In  the 
same  manner  the  poets  make  mention  of  the 
fifty  sons  of  Priamus,  for  the  Greeks  had  no 
less  esteem  for  fruitfulness.  Virginity,  consi- 
dered as  a  virtue,  was  at  that  time  little  known, 
md  looked  upon  in  the  same  light  with  sterility  ; 


THEIR  WOMEN  AND  MARRIAGES. 


115 


and  the  women  that  died  unmarried,  were  reck- 
oned unfortunate.  Electra,  in  Sophocles,  be- 
moans herself  expressly  upon  it,  and  this  was 
the  occasion  of  the  repining  of  Jephtha's  daugh- 
ter, Judg.  xi,  31.  Hence  barrenness  came  to 
be  a  reproach  to  married  women,  as  we  see  by 
Samuel's  mother,  and  many  others,  1  Sam.  i, 
2-6.  This  misfortune  was  looked  upon  as  a 
curse  from  God. 

This  care  for  posterity  was  the  foundation  of 
the  law  that  enjoined  a  man  to  marry  his  bro- 
ther's widow,  when  he  died  without  children, 
A  law  existing  in  the  patriarchal  times,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  story  of  Tamar,  Gen.  xxxviii,  8  : 
and  looked  upon  as  a  duty,  that  the  name  of 
the  deceased  might  not  be  forgotten  :  and  so 
the  children  were  reckoned  his  by  a  sort  of 
adoption.  From  hence  proceed  the  two  gene- 
alogies of  Jesus  Christ;  one  according  to  St. 
Matthew,  and  the  other  according  to  St.  Luke, 
Matt,  i  ;  Luke  iii.  For  thus  it  was  found  that 
Joseph  had  two  fathers,  one  by  whom  he  was 
begotten,  and  the  other  by  legal  adoption.* 
Beside,  the  marrying  a  sister-in-law  was  not 
contrary  to  the  first  law  of  nature,  which  al- 
lowed marrying  even  one's  own  sister,  before 
God  forbade  it. 

It  was  the  desire  of  having  a  great  number 

*  Commentators  are  greatly  divided  concerning  these 
two  genealogies.  Some  suppose  that  in  St.  Luke  to  be 
the  genealogy  of  the  blessed  virgin  ;  and  that  Heli,  said 
to  be  the  father  of  Joseph,  was  only  his  father-in-law  ^  be- 
jjfig  the  father  of  Mary. 


116         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

of  children,  that  induced  the  Israelites  to  take 
several  wives  at  a  time  :  which  they  esteemed 
an  honour,  and  sign  of  dignity.  It  is  thus  that 
Isaiah,  to  show  how  much  valued  those  of  God's 
people  should  be,  whom  he  should  preserve, 
says,  that  seven  women  shall  take  hold  of  one 
man^  Isaiah  iv,  1,  offering  to  live  at  their  own 
expense,  provided  they  had  the  honour  to  be 
called  by  his  name.  Thus  it  is  likewise  said, 
that  Hehoboam  had  eighteen  wives  and  three- 
score concubines,  and  that  he  gave  many  wives 
to  his  son  Abia,  whom  he  chose  for  his  succes- 
sor, 2  Chron.  xi,  21,  23. 

They  were  yet  very  sparing  in  the  use  of 
marriage  ;  they  did  not  only  abstain  from  it 
while  their  wives  were  big  with  child,  and  other- 
wise indisposed,  but  all  the  time  they  were 
nurses,  for  two  or  three  years  together  :  and 
mothers  did  not  often  dispense  with  themselves 
from  giving  suck  to  their  own  children.  We 
find  but  three  nurses  mentioned  in  the  Scripture, 
that  is,  Rebecca's,  Gen.  xxiv,  59  ;  Mephibo- 
sheth's,  2  Sam.  iv,  4  ;  and  she  that  nursed 
Joash,  king  of  Judah,  2  Kings  xi,  2.* 

We  ought  not  then  to  wonder  that  God  tole- 
rated polygamy,  which  was  introduced  before 
the  deluge,  Gen.  iv,  19,1  though  it  was  contrary 
to  the  first  institution  of  marriage.    For  when 

*  But  beside  these,  it  is  said  that  Naomi  was  nurse 
to  the  child  of  Boaz  and  Ruth.    See  Ruth  iv,  16. 

t  Lamech  was  the  first  polygamist,  and  from  all  that 
ihe  Scripture  says  concerning  him,  there  was  much  rea- 
son to  fear  he  was  a  very  bad  man. 


THEIR  WOMEN  AND  MARRIAGES.  Il7 

it  was  instituted  in  the  terrestrial  paradise,  there 
was  yet  no  concupiscence.  Polygamy  then 
was  like  divorces,  which  Jesus  Christ  told  the 
Jews  had  never  been  allowed  them  but  for  the 
hardness  of  their  hearts,  Matt,  xix,  8.  Beside 
wives,  they  had  likewise  concubines,  who  were 
commonly  slaves  :  lawful  wives  had  no  other 
advantage  over  them,  than  the  honour  of  having 
their  children  preferred  to  the  inheritance.  So 
that  the  name  of  concubinage  had  no  ill  signifi- 
cation as  with  us.  It  was  only  a  less  solemn 
wedding. 

This  liberty,  beside,  was  very  far  from  ren- 
dering the  state  of  matrimony  more  convenient  ; 
it  made  the  yoke  of  it  much  heavier.  A  hus- 
band could  not  so  equally  divide  his  heart  among 
many  wives,  as  to  please  them  all  ;  which 
obliged  him  to  govern  them  in  an  absolute  man- 
ner, as  the  eastern  people  still  do.  So  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  equality  y  friendship,  or 
society  in  marriage.  It  was  still  harder  for  the 
rival  wives  to  agree  among  themselves  ;  there 
was  no  end  of  divisions,  cabals,  and  domestic 
quarrels.  All  the  children  of  one  wife  had  so 
many  mothers-in-law,  as  their  father  had  more 
wives  :  each  espoused  the  interest  of  its  own 
mother,  and  looked  upon  the  children  of  the 
other  wives  as  strangers  or  enemies.  Hence 
comes  the  way  of  speaking  so  common  in  Scrip- 
ture, ii  is  my  brother^  and  the  son  of  my  mother. 
We  see  examples  of  these  divisions  in  the  fami- 
ly of  David,  and  still  worse  in  that  of  Herod. 

The  liberty  of  being  set  loose  by  divorce,  had 


118        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


also  very  bad  consequences.    People  engaged 
themselves  more  unwarily,  and  took  less  pains 
to  please  one  another  ;  and  a  man  had  it  in  his 
power  to  have  so  many  wives,  that  it  was  no 
better  than  an  excuse  for  debauchery.  We 
know  the  disorder  there  was  at  Rome  after  the  < 
decay  of  the  commonwealth  ;  whereas,  while  J 
good  manners  subsisted  there,  that  is,  till  the  { 
year  523  from  the  foundation,  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  divorce  heard  of,  though  it  was  i 
permitted  by  the  laws.  {Gellius  iv,  c.  3.)    The  ^ 
children  suffered  very  much  by  it  too  :  they  : 
were  orphans  even  while  their  father  and  mo-  j 
ther  were  living,  and  could  scarcely  avoid  being  ^ 
hated  by  one  of  them,  and  taking  part  with  one  J 
against  the  other.  1 


CHAPTER  XI.  ; 

The  Education  of  their  Children^  their  Exer-  | 
cises^  and  Studies.  J 

I 

The  education  of  children  seems- to  have  | 
been  very  nearly  the  same  among  the  Israelites 
as  that  of  the  Egyptians,  and  the  most  ancient 
Greeks.  {Plato  Rep.  2,3.)  They  formed  their  ^ 
body  by  labour  and  exercise,  and  their  mind  by 
literature  and  music.  Strength  of  body  was 
greatly  ésteemed  ;  and  it  is  that  for  which  sol- 
diers are  mostly  commended  in  Scripture,  as 
David's  valiant  men  are,  2  Samuel  xxiii,  1,  &c. 
Foot  racing  must  have  been  one  of  their  chief  ! 


EDUCATION  OF  THEIR  CHILDREN. 


119 


exercises,  since  men  were  known  by  their  run- 
ning at  a  distance,  as  those  who  brought  the 
news  of  Absalom's  defeat  ;  they  must  needs 
have  seen  them  run  often,  2  Samuel  xviii,  27. 
It  is  also  said  of  Asahel,  Joab^s  brother,  that 
he  was  as  light  of  foot  as  a  wild  roe,  2  Samuel 
ii,  18.  Zechariah  speaks  of  a  burdensome 
stone,  Zech.  xii,  3  ;  which  St.  Jerom  takes  for 
one  of  those  stones  which  served  to  try  men's 
strength  by  seeing  who  could  lift  it  highest.* 
For  which  reason  one  may  imagine  they  had 
that  sert  of  exercise.  The  example  of  Jona- 
than shows  they  used  to  exercise  themselves 
in  shooting  with  the  bow,  1  Sam.  xx,  20. 

But  they  did  not  make  the  exercise  of  the 
body  their  main  business  like  the  Greeks,  who 
reduced  it  to  a  profession  and  studied  the  great- 
est improvements  in  it.  They  called  this  art 
gymnastic,  because  they  exercised  themselves 
naked,  and  the  schools  gymnasia,  which  were 
spacious,  magnificent,  and  built  at  a  great  ex- 
pense. [Hier.  JVLercurial.  De  arte  gymnast,) 
There  the  best  masters,  with  many  assistants 
under  them,  formed  the  bodies  of  young  people 
by  a  very  exact  discipline  and  regular  exercise. 
Some  took  such  delight  in  it,  that  they  practised 

*  St.  Jerom  assures  us  that  this  was  an  ancient  cus- 
tom in  all  the  cities  and  towns  of  Palestine,  Avhich  sub- 
sisted even  in  his  days:  and  that  he  had  seen  a  great 
brazen  ball  at  Athens  in  the  citadel,  near  the  statue  of 
Mine*  va,  which  was  used  to  try  the  strength  of  the 
Athletae,  that  those  of  similar  pov/ers  might  be  paired 
together,  that  the  advantages  on  each  side  might  be 
equal,    ^^ee  his  comment  on  the  above  text. 


Î20 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


nothing  else  all  their  lives,  and  were  wrestlers, 
&c,  by  profession.  By  this  means  they  ac- 
quired prodigious  strength,  and  brought  their 
bodies  into  such  exact  shape,  that  they  served 
as  models  for  the  finest  statues.  But  in  other 
respects  it  made  them  brutal,  and  incapable  of 
any  appUcation  of  mind  ;  nor  were  they  even  fit 
for  wary  or  any  sort  of  enterprise  that  deprived 
them  of  their  usual  diet  or  rest,  or  put  them  at 
all  out  of  their  regular  way  of  living.  The  He- 
brews v/ere  too  serious  to  give  in  to  these 
niceties  ;  and  it  was  an  odious  novelty  to  them, 
when  there  was  an  academy  built  at  Jerusalem, 
imder  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  after  the  Greek 
fashion,  1  Mace,  i,  14  ;  2  Mace,  iv,  12.  They 
were  content  with  field  labour,  and  some  mili^ 
tary  exercises,  as  were  the  Romans. 

Nor  had  they  occasion  for  hard  study  to  im- 
prove their  mind,  if  by  study  we  understand  the 
knowledge  of  several  languages,  and  reading 
many  books,  as  we  commonly  mean  by  it.  For" 
they  despised  learning  foreign  languages,  be- 
cause that  was  as  much  in  the  power  of  slaves 
as  those  of  higher  rank,  Joseph.  Antiq.  lib.  xx, 
c.  11.  Their  native  language  was  sutficientfor 
them,  that  is,  the  Hebrew,  in  which  the  Scrips 
ture  is  written.  It  has  a  resemblance  of  their 
manners  ;  the  words  of  it  are  plain,  all  derived 
from  few  roots,  and  uncompounded  :  it  has  a 
wonderful  luxuriance  in  its  verbs,  most  of  which 
express  whole  phrases.  To  be  great,  to  make 
greats  to  be  made  great,  are  all  simple  wordsy 
which  no  translation  can  fully  express.  Most 


THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


121 


of  the  prepositions  and  pronouns  are  no  more 
than  single  letters  added  to  the  beginning  or 
end  of  other  words.  It  is  the  most  concise 
tongue  we  know,  and  consequently  comes  near- 
est to  the  language  of  spirits,  who  have  little 
need  of  words  to  make  themselves  understood  : 
the  expressions  are  clear  and  weighty;  they 
convey  distinct  and  sensible  ideas,  and  the 
farthest  from  bombast  of  all  others. 

The  genius  of  this  language  is  to  make  one 
proposition  follow  another,  without  suspending 
the  sense,  or  perplexing  us  with  long  periods, 
which  makes  the  style  extremely  clear.  Thence 
it  comes,  that  in  their  narrations,  those  that  are 
concerned  in  them  speak  with  the  utmost 
plainness,  and  in  their  own  persons,  and  do  not 
scruple  to  use  repetitions.  They  almost  con- 
stantly relate  the  same  thing  in  the  same  words. 
And  this  is  what  makes  us,  at  first,  think  the 
Scripture  style  flat  and  heavy  ;  but  it  is  in 
reality  a  mark  of  good  sense,  solidity,  and  a 
clear  head,  in  those  who  spoke  in  that  manner. 
Though  the  style  of  the  sacred  books  is  very 
different,  we  do  not  find  that  the  language  alter- 
ed from  the  time  of  Moses  to  the  Babylonish 
captivity. 

All  their  grammar  then  consisted,  like  that 
of  the  most  ancient  Greeks,  in  speaking  in  their 
own  language  well,  and  in  writing  and  reading 
it  correctly;  with  this  difference,  that  it  does 
not  appear  they  had  reduced  it  into  an  art,  and 
learned  it  by  rules.  Their  letters  wer^^those 
which  we  call  at  present  Samaritan,  because 
9 


122        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

the  Samaritans  have  preserved  them  :  and  as 
they  do  not  run  well,  nor  are  easy  to  shape,  it 
may  reasonably  be  doubted;,  whether  it  was 
very  common  among  the  Israelites  to  knpw 
how  to  write:  and  the  rather,  as  learned  men 
are  called  in  Scripture  Sopherin^  that  is  to  say, 
Scribes,  according  to  the  old  translations.  Ld^r 
bouring  people,  too,  have  much  less  occasion 
for  writing,  than  merchants  and  men  of  busi- 
ness. But  it  is  probable  that  most  of  them 
knew  how  to  read  ;  since  it  was  recommende(| 
to  all  to  learn  the  law  of  God,  and  meditate 
upon  it  day  and  night,  Deut.  vi,  6,  7,  &c  :  and 
this  study  was  their  whole  employment  upon 
the  Sabbath  days.  {Joseph.  Jint,  1.  j^vi,  c.  2, 
s.  3  ;  Orig.  coni,  Cels.  lib.  iv.) 

This  book  alone  was  sufficient  to  instruct 
them  thoroughly  ;  they  saw  in  it  the  history  of 
the  world  till  their  settlement  in  the  promised 
land,  the  rise  of  all  the  nations  which  they  knew, 
and  more  especially  of  those  they  were  most 
concerned  to  be  best  acquainted  vyith,  the  de- 
scendants of  Lot,  Abraham,  Ishmael,  and  Esau. 
There  they  saw  the  whole  of  their  religion,  its 
doctrines,  ceremonies,  and  moral  precepts,  and 
there  they  found  their  civil  laws.  This  volume 
alone,  which  is  the  Pentateuch  or  five  books  of 
Moses,  contained  all  that  they  were  obliged  to 
know.  Not  because  they  had  not  many  other 
books  :  for,  to  omit  those  of  Joshua,  Judges, 
Samuel,  and  several  that  were  written  after  ; 
in  the  time  of  Moses,  the  book  of  the  wars  of 
the  £ord  is  mentioned,  Numb,  xxi,  14  ;  and  in 


THEIR  BOOKS. 


123 


other  places  the  book  of  Jasher,"^  Josh,  13, 
and  Sam.  i,  18.  The  books  of  kings  often  re- 
fer to  the  chronicles  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and 
Israel.  Solomon  wrote  three  thousand  para- 
bles, and  one  thousand  and  five  songs,  1  Kings 
iv,  32,  33  :  he  wrote  treatises  upon  all  sorts  of 
plants  and  animals,  and  hb  himself  complains 
that  of  making  books  there  is  no  end,  Eccles. 
xii,  12.  All  these,  and  perhaps  many  others 
that  we  never  heard  of,  are  lost  ;  as  those  of 
the  Egyptians,  Syrians,  and  other  eastern  peo- 
ple. The  only  books  that  remain,  of  so  great 
antiquity,  are  such  as  God  dictated  to  his  pro- 
phets, and  has  preserved  by  a  particular  provi- 
dence. 

It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the  Israelites  stu- 
died the  books  of  foreigners,  from  whom  they 
were  so  careful  to  separate  themselves.  And 

*  Our  author  calls  it  Livre  des  justes,  after  the  Vul- 
gate, liber  justorum:  but  the  Chaldee  paraphrast,  The 
book  of  the  law  :  the  Syriac,  The  book  of  Canticles^  in 
one  place  ;  and,  The  book  of  Jlshir,  in  the  other.  Now 
it  may  be  doubted,  whether  any  of  these  conne  up  to  the 
original  ii:»n  IDD  that  is,  literally,  The  book  of  the  up- 
right, or,  The  book  which  is  right,  as  the  Seventy  seem 
to  have  understood  it  by  translating  it  eirî  ru  6t6Xm  th 
€vdHç.  The  sacred  writer  appeals  to  the  authentic  copy 
of  Joshua  and  Samuel  that  was  preserved  by  the  high 
priest,  as  the  law  was,  Deut.  xxxi,  26  ;  and  xvii,  18,  it 
may  be,  in  the  tabernacle,  or  the  temple,  for  Josephus, 
when  he  mentions  the  sun's  standing  still,  Ant.  1.  v, 
cap.  1,  says,  Thi'i  is  manifest  by  the  tvritings  deposited  in 
the  temple.  The  Arabic  in  2  Sam.  i,  18,  gives  the  pas- 
sage a  strange  turn.  "Behold  it  is  written  in  the  book 
of  Ashir,  that  is,  the  book  of  Samuel,  the  interpretation 
of  which  is  the  book  of  Canticles^ 


124        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


this  study  might  have  been  dangerous,  since  it 
would  have  taught  them  the  impious  and  extra- 
vagant fables  of  which  the  theology  of  idolaters 
was  composed.  But  they  abhorred  it  to  that 
degree  that  they  would  not  so  much  as  pro- 
nounce the  name  of  false  gods,. Psalm  xvi,  4  ; 
Wisdom  xiv,  27  ;  and  if  they  made  part  of  any 
proper  names,  they  changed  them.  Thus  they 
said  Ishbosheth  and  Mephibosheth,  for  Esh- 
baal  and  Meribbaal  ;  Bethhaven  for  Bethel  ; 
and  Beelzebub  instead  of  Beelsemen.*  These 
fables,  which  comprehend  the  whole  doctrine 
of  false  religions,  were  a  heap  of  lies  established 
by  long  tradition  upon  the  foundations  of  an- 
cient truths,  and  embelUshed  by  the  invention 
of  poets  :  mothers  and  nurses  taught  them  to 
their  children  from  their  cradle,  and  sung  them 
at  their  religious  worship  and  feasts.  The 
^-  wisest  of  the  heathens  saw  plainly  that  they 
tended  only  to  create  a  contempt  of  the  divi- 

*  Compare  1  Chron.  viii,  S3,  34,  with  2  Sam.  ii,  8, 
andTiv,  4. 

EsHBAAL,  '7ya?:'«  the  fire  of  Baal  or  of  the  idol  changed 
into  Ishbosheth  nîî>3       the  man  of  shame, 

Meribbaal  '^ya  3nD  the  contention  of  Baal,  changed 
into  Mephibosheth,  nira  ^fiD  from  the  mouth  of  shame, 
both  names  being  intended  to  ridicule  those  which  ap- 
pear to  have  been  imposed  in  honour  of  the  idol. 

Bethel  the  house  of  God,  which,  when  Jero- 

boam set  up  the  worship  of  his  golden  calves  in  it,  was 
called  Bethaven  îiNho  the  house  or  temple  of  iniquity. 

Beelsemen  CD^Dtt^  Lord,  or  ruler  of  the  heavens, 
was  through  contempt  changed  into  Beelzebub  jot  '7^3 
the  fly  god,  or  god  of  flies  ;  and  Beelzebul  'jot  ^yn  the 
god  of  dung.  in. this  latter  form  the  word  is  read  in  the 
Greek  Testament. 


METHOD  OF  GIVING  INSTRUCTION.  125 

Bity,  and  corruption  of  manners  :  but  the  evil 
was  past  remedy.  {Plato  Rep,  ii,  in  fine,  et  init. 
iii.) 

The  Israelites  were  the  only  people  that  re- 
lated truths  to  their  children,  capable  of  inspir- 
ing them  with  the  fear  and  love  of  God,  and 
exciting  them  to  virtue.  All  their  traditions 
were  noble  and  useful.  Not  but  they  made 
use  of  parables  and  riddles,  beside  simple  nar- 
rations, to  teach  truths  of  great  importance, 
especially  to  morality.  It  was  a  practice  among 
the  ingenious  to  propound  riddles  to  one  ano- 
ther, as  we  see  by  the  instances  of  Samson, 
Judg.  xiv,  14  ;  and  the  queen  of  Sheba,*  1 
Kings  X,  i.  The  Greeks  tell  us  the  same  thing 
of  their  first  sages.  {Plutarch  Comm.  Sept. 
Sap.)  They  made  use  too  of  these  fables,  as 
Esop  did,  the  fiction  of  which  is  so  plain  that 
it  can  impose  upon  no  body.  We  have  two  of 
them  in  Scripture,  Jotham's  the  son  of  Gideon, 
Judg.  ix,  8  ;  and  that  of  Joash  king  of  Israel, 
2  Kings  xiv,  9.  But  the  chief  use  of  allego- 
ries and  a  figurative  way  of  speaking  was  to 
comprehend  the  maxims  of  morality  in  few 
words  and  under  agreeable  images,  that  chil- 
dren might  learn  them  more  easily  ;  and  such 

*  Our  translation  says,  she  came  to  prove  him  with 
hard  questions  :  but  the  Abbe  follows  the  Vulgate,  venît 
tentare  eum  in  aenigmatibus,  which  is  the  same  -with  the 
£v  aivijdxaai  (icith  riddles  or  enigmas)  of  the  Septuagint  ; 
which  is  the  true  import  of  the  Hebrew  word  niT^na 
bacheedoth,  from  mn  chadahy  to  penetrate  ;  because  such 
sayings  penetrated  the  mind,  and  engrossed  the  atten- 
tion more  than  others, 


126        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITÈS. 

are  the  parables  or  proverbs  of  which  the  hooks 
of  Solomon  are  composed. 

These  parables  are  commonly  expressed  in 
verse,  and  the  verses  were  made  to  be  sung  ; 
for  which  reason,  I  believe,  the  Israelites  learnt 
music  too.  I  judge  of  them  by  the  Greeks, 
who  had  all  their  learning  and  politeness  from 
the  eastern  people.  Now  it  is  certain  that  the 
Greeks  taught  their  children  both  to  sing  and 
play  upon  instruments.  This  study  is  the  most 
ancient  of  all  others.  Before  the  use  of  letters 
the  memory  of  great  actions  was  preserved  by 
songs.  The  Gauls  and  Germans  retained  the 
same  custom  in  the  times  of  the  Romans,  and 
it  is  still  preserved  among  the  people  of  Ame- 
rica.* 

Though  tl\e  Hebrews  had  letters,  they  knew 
that  words  in  measure  and  set  to  a  tune  were 
always  best  remembered  ;  and  from  thence  pro- 
ceeded that  great  care  which  they  always  took 
to  compose  songs  upon  any  important  event 
that  had  happened  to  them.  Such  are  those 
two  songs  of  Moses,  one  at  passing  through  the 
Red  Sea,  Exod.  xv,  1,  &c  ;  the  other  when  he 
died,  to  recommend  the  observation  of  the  law, 
Deut.  xxxii,  1,  &c.  Such  hkewise  is  that  of 
Deborah,  Judg.  v,  1,  &c  ;  that  of  Samuel's 
mother,  1  Sam.  ii,  1-10;   and  many  others  : 

*  This  custom  prevailed  also  among  the  Hindoos, 
witness  the  great  and  ancient  epic  poem  of  India,  the 
Mahaharat;  amon^  the  Persians,  witness  the  famous 
Shah  J^ameh  of  Ferdoosee  ;  among  the  Irish,  Welsl), 
and  Scotch,  witness  the  remains  of  their  ancient  bards^ 
Ossian,  Urran,  Oscar,  &c. 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  TOEfkt. 


127 


hiiU  above  all,  the  Psalms  of  David,  These 
poems  are  woriderfally  instructive,  full  of  the 
praises  of  God,  the  remembrance  of  his  loving 
kindness,  containing,  beside,  moral  precepts, 
and  such  sentiments  as  a  good  man  ought  to 
have  in  every  station  of  life.  Thus,  the  most 
important  truths,  and  exalted  notions,  were 
agreeably  instilled  into  the  minds  of  children  by 
poetry  set  to  music. 

And  that  was  the  right  use  of  them.  God, 
who  created  great  geniuses  and  fine  voices, 
designed^  without  doubt,  that  the  owners  should 
employ  them  to  recommend  virtue,  and  not  to 
foment  criminal  passions.  The  Greeks  them- 
selves own,  that  the  most  ancient  and  best  sort 
of  poetry  was  the  lyric,  that  is  to  say,  hymns 
and  odes  in  praise  of  the  Deity,  and  to  inspire 
virtue-  {Plato,  leg.  vii.)  Dramatic  poetry,  which 
consists  only  in  imitation,  and  aims  at  nothing 
but  to  divert  by  moving  the  passions,  was  of 
later  invention.  We  see  nothing  of  it  among 
the  Hebrews  ;  and  though  Solomon  in  his  Song 
makes  different  persons  speak,  it  is  more  to  ex- 
press their  sentiments  in  a  lively  manner,  than 
to  represent  an  action,  as  is  done  in  theatrical 
performances** 

There  are  no  remains  of  the  Hebrew  music, 
but  there  are  several  of  the  structure  of  their 
verse  and  if  we  may  judge  of  the  beauty  of 
their  songs  by  that  of  the  words,  they  must  have 

♦  See  the  supplement  at  the  end  of  this  cliapter. 
t  See  Lowth's  Dissertation  on  the  Poetry  of  the  lîe- 
-brews;  and  Kennicott*s  Hebrew  Bible. 


128        MANNERS  OF  THE  iSKAKLITES. 

been  excellent  ;  grave  and  serious,  but  affect- 
ing  and  diversified.  And  if  we  may  form  an 
opinion  of  them  from  their  effects,  the  Scripture 
seems  to  impute  supernatural  ones  to  them. 
We  see,  by  the  instance  of  Saul,  who  found 
himself  well  and  refreshed  when  David  played 
upon  the  harp,  that  their  music  charmed  evil 
spirits,  1  Sam.  xvi,  23.  The  sound  of  their 
instruments  likewise  became  a  means  which 
the  Spirit  of  God  sometimes  used,  when  he 
spake  by  the  prophets,  as  we  find  by  the  ex- 
ample of  those  whom  Saul  met,  as  Samuel  had 
foretold,  and  with  whom  he  himself  entered  into 
holy  transports  of  joy,  1  Sam.  x,  5  ;  and  by  that 
of  Elisha,  who  asked  for  a  player  upon  a  min- 
strel, that  he  might  prophesy,  2  Kings  iii,  15  : 
that  is,  this  music  appeased  the  motion  of  the 
spirits  and  humours  which  the  devil  had  troubled 
in  those  whom  God  had  permitted  him  to  act 
upon  :  and  such  hearts  as  it  found  quiet  and 
pure,  it  lifted  up  to  God,  and  warmed  them, 
and  so  disposed  them  to  receive  the  powerful 
impressions  of  his  Spirit  the  more  effectually. 
The  Greeks  tell  us  of  the  wonderful  effects  of 
their  music  to  excite  or  calm  the  passions  ; 
and,  unless  wg  contradict  all  history,  it  must  be 
owned  that  the  music  of  the  ancients  was  more 
affecting  than  ours. 

Not  that  it  was  an  uncommon  thing  among 
them,  for  they  were  all  musicians  :  and,  to  con- 
fine myself  (o  the  Hebrews,  and  speak  only  of 
such  as  were  professed  musicians,  there  were 
in  David's  fime  four  thousand  Lévites  appoint- 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRV.  12^ 

ed  for  that  purpose  only,  1  Chron.  xxiii,  5^ 
under  the  direction  of  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  masters,  1  Chron.  xxv,7,  the  chief  of  whom 
were  Asaph,  Heman,  and  Jeduthun,  so  often 
named  in  the  titles  of  the  Psalms.  David  him- 
self was  a  great  poet,  and  excellent  musician  ; 
and  it  is  very  well  known  how  much  the  inclina- 
tion of  kings  conduces  to  the  improvement  of 
arts.  They  had  great  variety  of  wind  instru- 
ments, as  trumpets,  and  flutes  of  different  sorts  ; 
drums,  and  instruments  with  strings.  The  two 
that  are  most  frequently  mentioned,  are  kinour 
and  nabeU  which  the  Greeks  have  changed  into 
kinyra  and  nahla.  So  that  when  we  represent 
David  with  a  harp,  it  is  only  by  guess.  They 
had  instruments  of  eight  and  ten  strings. 

The  singing  of  the  Greeks  was  accompa- 
nied with  dancing  :  for  that  is  the  meaning  of 
the  word  chorus  or  choir ^  which  the  Latins  have 
taken  from  the  Greeks,  and  which  signified 
with  them,  a  company  of  dancers  clothed  and 
decked  out  in  the  same  uniform.*  They  sung 
together,  and  danced  in  a  ring,  being  sorted 
according  to  their  age  and  sex,  young  men  and 
maids,  old  men  and  wives,  without  mixing  one 
with  the  other.  Now,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  the  Hebrew  dances  were  less  modest. 
Choirs  are  mentioned  at  the  procession  which 
David  made  to  carry  the  ark  into  Sion,  and 

*;^opo?,  n.  dance,  and  often  in  the  profane  writers  a 
company  of  dancers  :  hence  x^P^V^^  which  signifies  not 
only  to  lead  a  dance,  but  also  to  furnish  that  kind  of 
uni/orm  used  by  the  chorus  or  company  of  dancers. 


130 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


upon  occasion  of  several  victories,  where  it  is 
said  that  the  maidens  came  out  of  the  cities 
dancing  and  singing,  2  Sam.  vi,  5,  14,  15,  20  ; 
and  1  Sam.  xviii,  6,  7. 

I  do  not  perceive  that  the  Israehtes  had  any 
public  schools,  or  that  the  young  men  went  from 
their  fathers'  house  to  study.  Their  laborious 
way  of  living  did  not  admit  of  it.  Their  fathers 
had  occasion  for  their  assistance  in  their  work, 
and  brought  them  up  to  it  from  their  childhood. 
So  the  word  school,  in  Greek,  signifies  leisure^^ 
as  being  the  place  where  such  people  met,  who, 
having  no  urgent  business,  endeavoured  to 
amuse  themselves  in  an  innocent  manner  :  and 
the  Latin  word  which  signifies  play^ 

conveys  the  same  idea.  I  imagine,  then,  that 
their  learning  was  chiefly  acquired  from  the 
conversation  of  their  fathers  and  old  men, 
without  much  reading  or  regular  lessons. 

Parents  were  obliged  to  inform  their  chil- 
dren of  the  great  things  God  had  done  for  them 
and  their  fathers  :  and  upon  that  account,  the 
law  commanded  them  so  often  to  explain  the 
reasons  of  their  feasts  and  other  religious  cere- 
monies, Deut.  vi,  7,  20.  These  instructions, 
thus  joined  to  sensible  objects,  and  so  fre- 
quently repeated,  could  not  fail  of  having  their 
due  weight.  They  taught  them,  beside,  every 
thing  relating  to  husbandry,  adding  continual 
practice  to  their  lessons.  And  we  cannot 
doubt  of  their  being  very  expert  in  it,  consider- 

+  5:;^oX>;,  Tioin  (t;^oX«^(o,  to  be  uue.ui])loye(i. 


TMElR  LITERATURE, 


131 


ing  that  for  many  ages  it  was  their  sole  em- 
ployment. Now,  though  this  art  be  followed 
among  us  by  uncultivated  people,  who  seldom 
reflect  upon  any  thing,  it  nevertheless  contains 
a  great  extent  of  knowledge,  much  more  use- 
ful to  mankind  than  that  speculative  sort  which 
is  reckoned  learning.  And  though  we  were  to 
allow  nothing  to  be  science  but  what  we  find  in 
books,  both  the  ancients  and  moderns  have 
written  sufficient  on  this  subject  to  recommend 
it  to  our  esteem.* 

An  Israehte,  therefore,  who,  by  the  tradition 
of  his  fathers,  by  his  own  experience,  and  some 
reading,  was  instructed  in  his  religion,  the 
laws  that  he  was  to  regulate  his  life  by,  and  the 
history  of  his  own  nation,  who  knew  how  to 
provide  himself  with  all  the  necessaries  of  hfe  ; 
who  thoroughly  understood  the  nature  of  dif- 
ferent soils,  and  the  plants  that  are  proper  for 
them,  the  method  and  time  to  be  observed  in 
planting  them  ;  what  precautions  are  to  be 
taken  against  the  several  accidents  that  destroy 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  how  they  are  to  be  ga- 
thered and  preserved  ;  who  understood  the 
nature  of  cattle,  how  they  are  to  be  fed,  the  dis- 
tempers they  are  liable  to,  with  the  cure  of 
them,  and  many  other  things  of  the  same  kind, 

*  The  works  of  Cato,  Vano,  Paladius,  the  Georgics 
of  Virgil,  and  many  others,  contain  many  important 
lessons  concerning  agriculture,  wlûch  sho\v  us  that  it 
had  been  earned  to  a  great  perfection  in  ancient  times. 
In  the  present  day  it  is  become  a  science  of  the  first 
importance,  many  of  the  nobility,  gentry,  and  literati, 
cultivating  it  with  the  utmost  assiduity  and  success. 


Î32      majSners  of  the  Israelites. 

which  most  of  those  that  reckon  themsélvei^ 
men  of  breeding  and  letters  know  nothing  of  ; 
this  honest  Israelite,  methinks,  would  be  full  as 
valuable  a  man,  as  one  bred  in  our  inns-of- 
court,  exchequer,  or  in  the  wrangle  of  the 
schools.  For  it  must  be  owned,  that  in  these 
latter  ages,  curious  studies  have  been  too  far 
divided  from  those  that  are  useful;  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  mind,  and  the  improvement  of  the 
manners,  from  a  due  regard  to  one's  business 
and  health.  Most  of  those  who  are  so  soli- 
citous about  their  intellects,  take  too  little  care 
of  their  persons,  and  become  unfit  for  action 
and  bodily  labour.  Nay,  many  grow  so  effe- 
minate, by  giving  themselves  to  music,  poetry, 
and  other  studies  of  a  curious  nature,  that 
with  a  very  high  opinion  of  their  fine  genius 
and  pretended  merit,  they  lead  an  inactive  and 
despicable  life. 

There  were,  however,  some  Israelites  that 
applied  themselves  particularly  to  study,  and 
may  be  called  learned  men,  according  to  our 
own  ideas.  It  is  said,  that  in  David's  time 
there  were  men  in  the  tribe  of  Issachar  who  had 
understanding  of  the  times  to  know  what  Israel 
ought  to  do,  1  Chron.  xii,32.  And  commentators 
say  that  they  observed  the  stars,  to  regulate  the 
feasts  and  the  whole  course  of  the  year  by  them. 
The  Prophet  Malachi  says  of  priests  in  general, 
that  their  lips  should  keep  knowledge,  and  that 
they  should  seek  the  law  at  their  mouth,  Malachi 
'iii  7.  One  of  their  chief  functions  therefore  was 
to  teach  the  law  of  God  in  the  meetings  which 


THEIR  LITERATURE. 


133 


were  held  in  every  city  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  which  the  Greeks  called  synagogues  or 
clmrches,  {Orig.  cont,  Cels,  1.  iv,)  for  both 
words  signify  almost  the  same  thing.  Other 
learned  men  were  appointed  to  speak  there  too, 
especially  such  as  were  acknowledged  to  be 
prophets,  inspired  by  God.  These  were  the 
public  schools  of  the  Israelites,  where  they  did 
not  teach  curious  knowledge,  but  religion  and 
good  manners  ;  where  they  did  not  instruct 
children  only,  and  some  particular  persons  who 
had  nothing  else  to  do,  but  the  people  in  ge- 
neral.* 

None  but  the  priests  and  prophets  undertook 
to  compose  books,  especially  history.  {Joseph, 
cont,  App.  i,  c.  2.)  It  was  the  same  in  Egypt. 
Their  priests  renounced  all  worldly  affairs. — 
They  led  a  very  serious  and  retired  hfe,  wholly 
employed  in  the  service  of  the  -gods,  and  the 
study  of  wisdom.  They  spent  the  day  in  the 
offices  of  religion,  and  the  night  in  mathemati- 
cal contemplations,  for  so  they  called  the  study 
of  the  heavens.  They  were  the  only  historians. 
So  the  most  ancient  Roman  histories  were  the 
annals  of  their  high  priests. 

We  see  in  Scripture  history  the  character  of 
their  authors.  It  appears  that  they  were  very 
serious  and  very  wise  men  ;  old,  and  of  great 
experience,  and  well  informed  of  what  passed. 

*  Such  were  the  schools  of  the  propV^ets  at  Naioth,  in 
Ilamah,  where  Samuel  presided,  1  Sam.  xix,  19,  20,  &c, 
and  ftl  Bethel,  where  Elijah  and  Elisha  gave.  [mhWc.  ii- 
filructions. 


134       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

There  is  neither  vanity,  nor  flattery,  nor  affec- 
tation in  them  to  show  their  wit  :  whereas  all 
these  foibles  are  to  be  discovered  in  the  Greeks, 
every  one  of  whom  had  liberty  to  write,  and 
most  of  them  aimed  at  nothing  but  their  own 
glory,  or  that  of  their  nation.  The  Hebrew 
historians  do  not  set  down  their  own  names, 
nor  do  they  ever  conceal  any  circumstance  that 
appears  disadvantageous  to  themselves  or  their 
sovereigns.  They  that  wrote  the  history  of 
David  have  been  as  particular  in  the  account 
of  his  greatest  crime  as  in  any  of  his  most  right- 
eous actions. 

They  make  neither  preface  nor  transition  ; 
they  only  relate  facts  in  as  clear  a  manner  as 
possible,  without  any  mixture  of  reasoning  or 
reflections.  But  if  we  examine  well  we  shall 
find  that  they  chose  the  facts  which  were  pro- 
per for  their  purpose  with  wonderful  judgment, 
and  this  makes  their  stories  very  short  ;  though, 
upon  important  occasions,  they  enter  into  the 
most  exact  detail,  and  set  the  action  before  the 
reader's  eyes  in  very  lively  colours.  It  is 
plain  they  leave  out  reflections  and  exaggera- 
tions on  purpose,  by  their  knowing  so  well  how 
to  apply  them  in  discourses  where  they  have  a 
mind  to  work  upon  the  passions.  So  Moses,  in 
Deuteronomy,  makes  use  of  the  strongest  and 
most  expressive  figures  to  magnify  and  expa- 
tiate upon  what  he  had  only  plainly  related  in 
the  preceding  books.  Thus  the  Prophet  Isaiah 
barely  relates  the  defeat  of  Sennacherib,  Isa. 
xxxvi,  1,  &c,  compared  with  xxxvii,  37,  38, 


THEIR  LITERATURE. 


135 


after  having  exaggerated,  when  he  foretold  it, 
in  a  style  that  is  truly  poetical. 

The  Hebrews  were  not  less  to  be  admired  in 
all  their  other  ways  of  writing.  Their  laws  are 
written  with  clearness  and  brevity.  Their 
maxinis'of  morality  are  contained  in  short  sen- 
tences, adorned  with  agreeable  figures,  and 
expressed  in  a  concise  style  ;  for  all  this  serves 
to  make  them  remembered.  In  fine,  the  poe- 
try is  sublime,  the  descriptions  lively,  the  me- 
taphors bold,  the  expressions  noble,  and  the 
figures  wonderfully  varied.  But  it  would  re- 
quire whole  books  to  treat  of  their  eloiquence 
and  poetry  in  such  a  manner  as  they  deserve.* 

Though  they  wrote  by  Divine  inspiration,  I 
do  not  think  it  necessary  to  impute  all  their 
eloquence  to  it.  They  were  only  inspired  to 
speak  truth,  and  to  make  use  of  no  word  that 
was  unfit  to  declare  the  mysterious  designs  of 
God  :  but  for  any  thing  more  the  Holy  Ghost 
made  use  of  their  natural  manner  of  expression. 
This  is  plain  from  the  different  styles  of  the 
prophets,  and  still  more  so  from  the  likeness 
I  they  all  bear  to  the  most  ancient  profane  wri- 
ters. Homer,  Herodotus,  and  Hippocrates, 
tell  a  story  in  the  same  way,  Hesiod's  instruc- 
tions are  written  in  the  like  manner.  {Demoslh, 
de  fais,  leg,  et  alibi.)  The  elegies  of  Theognis 
and  Solon  resemble  the  exhortations  of  Moses 
and  the  prophets.    We  see  in  Pindar,  and  the 

*  See  Bishop  Lowth's  Dissertation,  and  his  preli- 
minary Diicourse  to  his  Translation  of  the  Prophet 
I  Isaiali. 


136        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


choruses  of  tragedians,  great  boldness  and 
variety  of  poetry  ;  and  the  more  ancient  Greek 
authors  are  the  more  they  resemble  the  He- 
brews, both  in  the  distinction  of  style,  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  work,  snd  in  their  con- 
ciseness and  propriety  of  expression. 

People  may  imagine  that  the  Hebrews  wrote 
in  this  manner  by  the  pure  strength  of  their 
genius,  and  that  the  goodness  of  their  judg- 
ment prompted  them  to  reject  what  was  not 
suitable  to  the  design  of  any  work,  and  to 
make  use  of  what  was  fittest  to  instruct  or 
affect.  For  my  own  part,  when  I  see  that  they 
never  fail  to  observe  a  difference  of  style,  and 
they  apply  all  the  orna  Pients  of  true  eloquence 
so  properly,  I  am  rather  inclined  to  believe 
they  had  already  some  rules,  taken  from  the 
experience  of  their  fathers,  either  in  writing  or 
by  tradition  among  the  learned.  We  must  not 
imagine  that  the  Greeks  invented  eloquence 
and  poetry  :  the  greatest  share  they  had  in  it 
was  giving  names  to  the  figures,  and  framing 
all  that  artificial  language,  in  which  the  know- 
ledge of  grammarians  and  rhetoricians  con- 
sisted ;  but  which  alone  never  made  cither 
orators  or  poets.  The  rudiments  of  the  art 
were  discovered  long  before  ;  for  the  world  was 
not  young  at  that  time  :  it  had  existed  near 
three  thousand  years  before  Solomon,  and  it  is 
nearly  three  thousand  since.  Before  his  time 
men's  live^  were  long,  and  there  had  been  no 
inundations  of  barbarians  in  the  countries  where 
arts  and  sciences  had  their  origin. 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRY*  iBt 
A  SUPPLEMENT  TO  CHAPTER  XI. 

Concerning  the  Alusic  and  Poetry  of  the  He^ 
breivs.    Referred  to  in  jycige  127. 

There  were  no  instruments  of  music  used  in 
the  worship  of  God  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world  till  the  time  of  David.  He  introduced 
singers  and  players  on  musical  instruments,  but 
this  was  rather  by  the  permission,  than  by  the  ex- 
press authority  of  God.  As  David  was  a  very 
elegant  poet,  and  was  led  to  devote  his  extra- 
ordinary talents  to  the  most  sublime  and  glori- 
ous of  all  subjects,  the  celebration  of  the  being 
and  attributes  of  the  most  high  God  ;  and  as 
instrumental  music  was  generally  a  concomi- 
tant of  the  poetic  gift,  and  probably  observing 
a  fondness  for  such  instruments  among  the 
people  at  large,  who  appear  to  have  made  an 
improper  use  of  them  in  feasts,  &c,*  he  thought 
proper  to  consecrate  them  to  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  composed  a  variety  of  odes  or 
psalms  with  which  they  were  to  be  accompa- 
nied on  the  different  solemnities  observed 
among  the  Jews. 

It  is  in  vain  to  attempt  to  trace  the  use  of 
musical  instruments  in  the  service  of  God  any 
higher  than  the  days  of  David  ;  for  the  horns 
and  trumpets  which  were  in  use  before,  appear 
to  have  answered  no  other  purpose  than  merely 
to  convoke  the  public  assemblies,  as  bells  were 

*  See  Isaiah  v,  12,  compared^ with  Amos  v,  23,  and 
vi,  1-5. 

10 


138 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


not  then  in  use.  Nor  does  it  appear  from  anj 
part  of  the  Scriptures,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect^ 
that  their  introduction  was  ever  sanctified  by 
Divine  authority.  In  1  Chron.  xvi,  42,  it  is  said, 
that  Heman  and  Jeduthun  were  appointed  ivith 
trumpets  and  cymbals  for  those  that  should  make 
a  sound  ;  and  with  musical  instruments  of  Gad  ; 
and  this  text  is  supposed  to  be  a  clear  proof 
that  these  were  of  Divine  appointment.  But 
the  last  clause,  musical  instruments  of  God^ 
when  examined  in  the  original,  will  not  support 
this  inference.  CD''n'7i<n  n>t:'  Jcelee  sheer  haclo- 
heem,  literally  signifies  the  instruments  of  God's 
song  :  properly  translated  by  the  Septuagint 
ogyam  twv  w^ojv  tou  ôsovy  the  organs  of  the  songs 
of  God.  The  parallel  text  in  2  Chron.  vii,  6, 
the  instruments  of  music  of  the  Lordy  has  pre- 
cisely the  same  meaning  with  the  above,  the 
words  being  the  same,  only  nin-»  yehovah  is  in 
the  latter  text  put  for  d^hSn  eloheem  in  the  former. 
The  song  God  inspired,  and  commanded  to  be 
sung  ;  but  the  instruments  were  of  a  different 
appointment. 

In  the  first,  the  pure  and  perfect  ages  of  the 
Christian  Church,  there  were  no  instruments  of 
music  used  in  the  worship  of  God  :  indeed  had 
they  been  proposed,  they  would  doubtless  have 
been  considered  by  the  primitive  Christians  as 
an  attempt  to  judaize  Christianity,  by  conform- 
ing the  chu7xh  to  the  synagogue. 

The  Syriac  version  of  1  Chron.  xvi,  41,  42, 
is  very  remarkable.  I  shall  subjoin  a  literal 
translation  of  it,  which  the  reader  may  compare 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRY. 


139 


with  the  English  version  or  with  the  Hebrew 
text.  "  These  are  the  names  of  the  men  who 
were  employed  in  praises.  HerntHi  and  Eri- 
thun  (and  other  righteous  men  whose  names  are 
unknown)  that  they  might  give  thanks  to  the 
Lord  whose  goodness  is  everlasting.  And 
these  are  the  righteous  men  who  did  not  sing 
with  instruments  of  music,  nor  with  drums,  nor 
with  sistrums  (or  harps,)  nor  with  pipes  crooked 
or  straight,  nor  with  cymbals  ;  but  they  sung 
with  a  joyous  mouth,  and  with  a  pure  and 
perfect  prayer,  with  innocence  and  integrity  be- 
fore the  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  G  od  of  Israel." 
The  Arabic  version  is  almost  word  for  Avord 
with  the  above.  As  the  Syriac  version  was;^ 
made  about  the  second  century  (some  think  in  ? 
the  apostolic  age)  and  probably  by  a  Christian^ 
we  may  see  from  the  turn  he  gave  to  the  origi- 
nal, that  instrumental  music  in  that  time  was 
not  esteemed  in  the  Church  of  God.  Indeed  it 
seems  to  have  no  good  influence,  and  is  only 
calculated  to  draw  light,  vain,  and  giddy  per- 
sons together. 

Where  poetry  had  attained  such  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  as  the  poetic  compositions  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets  sufficiently  prove,  instrumen- 
tal music  must  have  kept  proportionable  pace. 
According  to  the  accounts  of  the  rabbins,  the 
Hebrews  had  more  instruments  of  music  among 
them,  than  any  other  people  on  the  earth.  They 
generally  reckon  about  thirty-four  different 
kinds.  Calmet,  who  has  examined  this  subject 
with  great  accuracy  and  critical  acumen,  Disscr- 


140         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


tation  sur  les  mstrumens  de  musique  des  //e- 
breiix,  prefixed  to  his  commentary  on  the 
Psalms,  reduces  this  number  by  taking  away 
the  following  fourteen. 

1.  Neginoth  (mj^jj)  translated  by  the  LXX, 
uixvo^  a  hymn,  and  by  the  Vulgate  canticum,  a 
song,  signifies  those  who  play  on  instruments, 
or  the  pieces  themselves  which  are  played. 
See  Job  xxx,  9  ;  Psa.  Ixix,  12,  and  the  titles  of 
several  Psalms. 

2.  Nehiloth  (ni'7Mj)  signifies  dances,  or 
choirs  of  dancing  women,  from  the  verb  '^Sn 
chalal,  to  dance.  It  is  found  in  the  title  of 
Psalm  V. 

3.  Sheminith  (n^i^m):  as  this  word  Hterally 
signifies  the  eighth,  and  as  we  find  this  used  for 
an  eighth  course  of  musicians,  1  Chron.  xv,  21, 
it  probably  has  the  same  meaning  in  Psalm  vi, 
in  the  title  of  which  it  stands  in  connection  with 
Neginoth  mentioned  above. 

4.  Shiggaion  (p^^tt')  signifies  a  song  of  con- 
solation in  distress,  or  a  poetic  composition 
similar  to  our  elegy.  It  is  found  in  the  title  of 
Psalm  vii,  and  the  plural  Shigionoth,  in  Habak- 
kuk  iii,  1. 

5.  GiTTiTH  (n^n^JJ)  a  person  of  Gath,  or  the 
ivine  pressings  probably  an  air  or  song  sung  at 
the  time  of  vintage.  It  occurs  in  the  titles  of 
the  8th,  81st,  and  84th  Psalms. 

6.  MuTHLABBEN  (î^SniD  Sy)  ahiiuthlaben  con- 
cerning the  death  of  the  son.  Title  of  Psalm 
9th.  In  1  Chron.  xvi,  20,  alamoth  (r^^Dhy)  is 
used,  which  signifies  damsels,  or  virgins,  and 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRY. 


141 


Calmet  thinks  that  a  hand  of  female  musicians 
is  meant,^nd  that  Laben,  i.  e.  to  Ben,  refers  to 
Beniah  who  was  set  over  the  band. 

7.  Might  AM  (dddd)  this  occurs  in  the  titles 
of  the  16th,  56th,  67th,  58tb,  59th,  and  60lh 
Psalms.  It  comes  from  the  root  cdpd  katham  to 
inscribe^  or  engrave  :  and  as  it  is  always  accom- 
panied with  "in'?  le  da-vid,  to  David,  it  probably 
signifies  that  those  Psalms  were  particularly  at- 
tributed to  David.  Those,  says  Calmet,  who 
wish  to  make  it  signify  an  instrument  of  music, 
only  make  use  of  this  cloak  to  cover  their  idle- 
ness or  ignorance. 

8.  Ayeleth  Shahar  (inc^n  n'?>N)  Psa.  xxii,  1, 
translated  by  the  Septuagint,  the  reception  or 
succour  of  the  morning  ;  and  by  others,  the  hind 
of  the  mornins;  ;  appears  to  signify  a  band  of 
either  male  or  female  musicians,  or  a  Psalm 
that  was  sung  at  break  of  day. 

9.  Shoshannim  {a>yyv)  Psalm  xliv,  Ix,  Ixix, 
Ixxx,  variously  translated  by  the  ancients  and 
moderns,  seems  to  mean  rejoicings  :  and  as  all 
the  Psalms  to  which  it  is  prefixed  seem  to  be 
composed  for  festive  occasions,  particularly 
weddings,  it  is  probable  the  word  only  points 
out  the  rejoicings  used  on  such  occasions. 

10.  Mahalath  (nSno)  title  of  Psalm  53d, 
signifies  a  dance,  such  as  was  used  at  some  re- 
ligious assemblies.  See  Exod.  xv,  20  ;  Judg. 
xxi,  21  ;  1  Sam.  xvii,  6. 

11.  Jonath  Elem  Rechokim  (D>pnn  d^jk 
r>Ji*)  The  dumb  dove  in  its  banisltment,  probably 
the  air  or  tune  to  which  some  particular  PsaUn 
or  ode  was  sung. 


142        MANNERS  OE  THE  ISRAELITES. 


12.  HiGAioN  (îrJn)  Psalm  xcii,  4,  from  njn  io 
murmur,  growl,  or  coo,  was  either  a  deep  hollow 
bass  in  the  music  ;  or  a  mournful  tune,  sung  on 
occasions  of  public  or  private  calamity.  But 
from  its  connection  in  the  above  passage  with 
several  musical  instruments,  it  may  probably 
signify  some  kind  of  harp,  or  some  mournful 
accompaniment  in  the  voice  like  our  recitativo. 

13.  Maschil  (So:2'd)  occurs  in  the  titles  of 
Psalms  32d,  42d,  44th,  52d,  74th,  78th,  and 
142d  ;  as  it  is  evidently  derived  from  the  root 


it  signifies  simply  to  give  instruction.  The 
Psalms  to  which  it  is  prefixed,  are  to  be  con- 
sidered as  peculiarly  calculated  to  give  instruc- 
tion and  direction  in  the  most  important  matters 
which  respect  the  well  being  of  the  body  and 
soul. 

14.  Al  Taschith  (nnt:^n  h-x)  This  term  lite- 
rally means  destroy  not  ;  and  may  signify  either 
a  deprecation  of  deserved  punishment,  or  an 
exhortation  to  take  care  of  and  preserve  in  a 
particular  manner  those  Psalms  to  which  it  is 
prefixed.  They  are  the  four  following,  57th, 
68th,  59th,  and  75th. 

I  am  of  Calmet's  opinion,  that  none  of  these 
signifies  any  musical  instrument,  unless  the 
Higaion  mentioned  under  No.  12. 

In  the  Pentateuch  seven  different  kinds  of 
musical  instruments  are  mentioned,  viz.  the 
kinnor,  or  lyre,  an  instrument  with  three  cords. 
The  huggab,  or  mouth  organ,  composed  of 
seven  unequal  pipes.    The  tifph,  or  tambour, 


behave  wisely  or  prudently. 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRt.  143 

die  skin  being  extended  only  over  one  side. 
The  machalafli,  probably  a  sort  of  bagpipe. 
The  chazazeroth,  the  long  straight  trumpets 
mn.de  by  Moses  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  scho- 
phar  or  trumpet.  To  these  some  add  ihejubaU 
iBY  jobel,  supposed  to  have  been  a  sort  of  musi- 
cal instrument  made  out  of  a  ram^s  horn  ;  but 
this  is  a  mistake,  for  there  is  no  proper  evidence 
that  there  ever  was  such  an  instrument.* 

In  the  books  of  Kings,  Chronicles,  and  the 
Prophets,  mention  is  made  of  nabelim,  psal- 
teries or  harps  :  mezilothaim,  cymbals.  Me- 
NANAiM,  different  kinds  of  flutes,  and  zalze- 
t.iM,  cymbals,  according  to  some  ;  and  sist^mms 
according  to  others.  Siialishim,  sonorous  fW- 
gons,  or  triangles,  and  mezilothaim,  a  species 
-of  small  bells. 

In  Daniel  iii,  5,  the  following  are  mentioned  : 
— Karna,  the  coronet  or  horn  :  mashrokita, 
the  jlagelot  :  kithros,  the  cithara  or  harp  : 
SABEKA,  the  sackbut,  a  species  of  cymbal:  pe- 
santerin,  the  psaltery  or  a  species  of  harp  in 
form  of  an  equilateral  triangle,  nearly  the  sam3 
as  the  nabla  :  sumphonia,  a  diilcimer  or  cym- 
hal  with  four  strings.  The  gnasur,  or  hasur 
(na^y)  mentioned  in  the  Psalms,  appears  to  have 
been  an  instrument  of  ten  strings  similar  to  or 
the  same  wiih  the  cythara  or  harp.  As  the 
7iabla  or  kinoor  were  the  most  common,  a  far- 
ther description  may  be  necessary. 

Na  BLA  or  NEBEL  C^^j)  a  Stringed  musical  in- 
strument, probably  so  called  from  its  belly  res- 
*  See  the  note  at  the  end  of  chapter  xvi^ 


H4         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


sembling  a  jug  or  flagon,  2  Sam.  vi,  5  ;  Psalm 
xxxiii,  2.  Athenseus  says,  "  Not^Xot  (poivjxwv 
sivai  sv^Yiixa,  the  7iabla  was  invented  by  the 
Phenicians,"  which  he  proves  from  these  words 
of  S  op  ate  r, 

— — i>T£  TU  Yiê(x)viis  vao\a 
Aapv\Xo(pis)voç  eUcKE'^^^opèoTai  tvtîoç. 
And  the  Sidoniaii  nabla 
Sonorous  instrument,  is  not  unstrung. 

Not^Xa  here  seems  indeclinable,  like  the 
Phenician  and  Syriac  Heb.  h^s.  Strabo, 

lib.  X,  p.  722,  edit.  Amstel.  acknowledges  that 
the  name  is  barbarous  or  foreign  ;  twv  o^^avwv 

Qa^^iTog,  xai  oKkn  ziXsK^,  "  Some  musical  instru- 
ments have  barbarous  names,  as  the  nabla  and 
sambuke,  the  barbitos,  the  magadis,  and  several 
others."  Josephus,  Ant.  lib.  vii,  cap.  12,  sec.  3, 
describes  it  thus  :  H  Ss  voc§Xa,  ôooôsxa  cpôoyfiig  s^- 
i^(fa  Toig  SaxTvXoig  KPOTETAI.  "  The  nabla  has 
twelve  sounds,  and  is  struck  or  played  upon  with 
the  fingers."  In  playing  it  was  turned  about 
with  both  hands.  Thus  Ovid  de  Arte  Amandi, 
lib.  iii. 

Disce  etiam  duplici  gcnialia  nablia  palmâ 
Vertere  ;  conveniunt  dulcibus  ilia  modis. 

Its  name,  like  that  of  the  utricularis  tibia,  (Eng- 
lish bagpipe,)  is  taken  from  its  resemblance  to 
a  bottle  or  flagon,  (utris,)  for  thus  also  S^j  sig- 
nifies. 

It  began  to  be  in  use  about  the  time  of  David. 
This  may  be  gathered  from  its  being  mentioned 
by  David  in  several  places  of  the  Psalma,  and 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRY.  145 


by  the  sacred  writers  who  succeeded,  but  never 
once  by  those  who  preceded  him.  Hesychius 
says  it  was  ^xj^^y^^ov  a  harsh-sounding  instrument. 
Others,  however,  highly  commend  it.  And  in 
the  Adulterer  of  Philemon,  when  one  says  that 
he  knows  not  what  the  nabla  is,  another  replies, 
Oux  oK^èoL  vaêXav  ;  ^osv  i^v  oiVô'  ayaôov.  "  Not 
know  the  nabla  !  Then  thou  knowest  nought 
that  is  good."  Thus  Bochart,  vol.  i,  p.  728. 
And  from  the  passage  of  Sopater  there  pro- 
duced, from  what  Josephus  says  of  the  nabla, 
and  from  his  joining  it  in  the  place  above  cited 
with  the  xjvufa,  of  which  he  says,  H  ^.sv  xm^a, 
Ssxa  ■)(O^Sat^  s|y)|UL|xsv7],  rvitrsTai  t^'X^jxr^w,  that  "it 
is  furnished  with  ten  strings,  and  played  upon 
with  a  plectrum."  From  all  this  taken  together 
I  say  it  is  manifest  that  the  nabla  was  a  stringed 
instrument,  and  therefore  not,  as  a  very  inge- 
nious writer,  to  whom  I  am  very  much  obliged, 
has  supposed,  a  kind  of  bagpipe,  such  as  Dr. 
Russell,  (JVat.  Hist,  of  Aleppo,  p.  94,)  informs 
^us  is  still  in  use  about  Aleppo.  From  Psalms 
xxxiii,  2,  cxliv,  9,  the  nabla  appears  to  have 
sometimes  at  least  had  only  ten  strings.  And 
the  Targum,  Syriac,  Septuagint,  and  Yulgate, 
in  both  passages  agree  in  this  explanation  of 
the  word  ■^it^'r  gnasur  or  hasur. 

The  KiNOOR  ("^^J^)  was  a  musical  instrument 
of  the  stringed  kind,  a  lute,  harp,  or  the  like, 
played  on  with  the  hand,  according  to  1  Sam, 
xvi,  23  ;  though  Josephus,  Ant.  lib.  vii,  cap. 
12,  sec.  3.  edit.  Hudson,  says,  that  the  cinyra 
david,  made  for  the  Lévites,  was  furnished  with 


Î46  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


ten  strings,  and  played  on  with  a  plectrum. — - 
From  this  word  no  doubt  are  derived  not  only 
the  Greek  xivu^a,  a  harp,  by  which  the  Seventy 
Very  frequently  render  it,  but  also  xiw^og  and 
i^m^s(fôoii,  signifying  lamentation  or  moaning. 
Whence  as  Bochart,  vol.  i,  p.  729,  has  observed, 
it  is  probable  that  the  Greeks  used  this  instru- 
ment on  mournful  occasions  ;  whereas  among 
the  Hebrews,  playing  on  the  "^^J^  kinoor  was  a 
sign  of  joy,  as  Gen,  xxxi,  27  ;  2  Chron.  xx,  27, 
28  ;  Job  x^i,  12  ;  Psa.  cxliv,  2,  3.  Hence, 
îîowever,  as  he  farther  remarks,  it  will  not 
follow  that  the  Hebrew  kinoor  and  Grecian 
xivv^a  were  instruments  of  different  kinds  ;  since 
the  same  sort  of  instruments  might  affect  the 
mind  in  different  manners,  according  as  it  was 
differently  played  upon.  See  Isa.  xvi,  11,  and 
Calmet  as  above,  and  Parkhurst. 

Effects  the  most  astonishing  and  almost  pre- 
ternatural are  attributed  in  the  Scriptures  to  the 
Hebrew  music.  To  produce  these  the  poetic 
compositions  must  have  been  exquisitely  grand, 
the  instruments  perfect  in  their  kinds,  and  per- 
fectly adapted  to  the  effects  they  were  intended 
to  produce,  and  the  musicians  uncommonly 
skilful.  Of  their  instruments  we  know  little 
beside  the  names,  and  even  the  signification  of 
these  is  by  no  means  well  ascertained.  But 
much  of  their  poetry  remains,  and  is  a  standing 
monument  of  the  high  state  of  cultivation  to 
which  the  most  difficult  of  all  sciences  had 
arrived  at  a  very  early  period,  among  a  people 
whom  the  proud  and  insolent  Greeks  affected 
to  call  barbarians. 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETÎlV.  14? 


Even  àn  infidel  who  is  capable  of  examining 
the  poetic  compositions  of  the  Hebrews  in 
their  original  language^  will  allow  that  they 
possess  all  the  characteristics  of  the  most  ener^ 
getic,  sublime,  and  affecting  poetry.  In  sacfed 
poetry  the  inspired  writers  alone  have  succeed^ 
ed  :  it  belongs  to  the  Divine  Spirit  to  describe 
the  things  of  God  in  a  suitable  manner,  and  in 
appropriate  language  ;  several  eminent  men 
have  written  upon  this  subject,  and  written  well  ; 
but  there  is  one  point  on  which  little  has  been 
said  :  viz.  the  combination  of  sense  and  sound 
in  various  parts  of  the  poetic  compositions  of 
the  Hebrew  writers.  For  full  evidence  of  the 
exquisite  art  possessed  by  some  of  the  prophets 
in  conveying  the  sense  of  their  words  by  their 
sounds^  I  shall  refer  the  learned  reader,  first  to 
the  origincd  of  David's  lamentation  over  Saul 
and  Jonathan,  2  Sam.  i,  19-27.  This  lament- 
ation is  justly  admired,  says  Dr.  Kennicott,  as 
a  picture  of  distress,  the  most  tender  and  the 
most  striking  ;  unequally  divided  by  grief  into 
longer  and  shorter  breaks,  as  nature  could  pour 
them  forth  from  a  mind  interrupted  by  the  alter- 
nate recurrence  of  the  most  lively  images  of 
love  and  greatness.  His  reverence  for  Saul, 
and  his  love  for  Jonathan,  have  their  strongest 
colourings  ;  but  their  greatness  and  bravery 
come  full  upon  him,  and  are  expressed  with 
peculiar  energy. 

Being  himself  3.  warrior,  it  is  in  that  character 
be  sees  their  greatest  excellence,  and  though 
bis  imagination  hurries  from  one  point  of  recol- 


148 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


lection  to  another  ;  yet  we  hear  him  at  first — at 

last — every  where  lamenting  "  How  are  the 

mighty  fallen  !"  It  is  almost  impossible  to  read 
the  noble  original,  without  finding  every  wwd 
swollen  with  a  sigh  or  broken  with  a  sob.  A 
heart  pregnant  with  distress,  and  striving  to  utter 
expressions  descriptive  of  its  feelings,  (which 
are  repeatedly  interrupted  by  an  excess  of  grief,) 
is  most  sensibly  painted  throughout  the  whole. 

Even  an  English  reader  may  be  convinced  of 
this,  from  the  following  specimen,  which  includes 
only  the  three  last  hemistichs. 

J^iphleathah  ahabtecha  lie  meahabath  nashim. 
Thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful,  beyond  the  love  of  women. 

Eik  naphehi  gibborim. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

Wayobedii  kelee  milchamah. 
And  the  weapons  of  war  perished  ! 

The  Psalms  afford  several  instances  of  this 
connection  of  seiise  and  sound.  The  following 
from  Psalm  xviii,  15,  is  a  fine  specimen. 

Oohrakkeem  rabb  Vayliummem, 
And  lightnings  he  multiplied  and  confounded  them  : 

in  which  Dr.  Delany  has  justly  observed,  the 
rattling  and  pounding  of  thunder  are  distinctly 
heard  in  the  sounds  of  the  original  words. 


THEIR  MUSIC  AND  POETRV. 


149 


We  have  another  striking  example  in  the  10th 
verse  :— 

Wayircav  hhal  kerub  waiyahoph. 
He  rode  upon  a  cherub  and  did  fly  ;  . 

nn  ii5j3  by  N^n 

Wayede  hhal  kanphee  rooach. 
Yea,  he  flew  on  the  wings  of  the  wind  ! 

How  astonishingly  are  the  blowing  and  rush^ 
ing  of  the  wind  expressed  in  the  last  word  of 
each  hemistich  !  The  clap  of  the  wing  also  in 
the  word  ^^jj  Kanphee  may  be  distinctly  heard. 
Could  such  a  coincidence  be  the  effect  of  acci- 
dent ? 

Sternhold  and  Hopkins  have  succeeded  in 
their  version  of  this  place,  not  only  beyond  all 
their  other  efforts,  but  also  beyond  every  ancient 
and  modern  poet  on  a  similar  subject.  Their 
version  conveys  the  true  spirit  of  the  original, 
and  by  tho^e  who  understand  it,  will  be  found 
to  be  surprisingly  literaL 

"  On  cherub  and  on  cherubim 

Full  royally  he  rode  ; 
And  on  the  wings  of  all  the  wmds 

Came  flying  all  abroad  j" 

But  the  most  complete  and  striking  examples 
of  the  combination  of  sense  and  sound  which  I 
recollect  to  have  met  with  in  the  sacred  writings, 
are  the  two  following  :  the  first  is  taken  from 
Psahn  Ixxxi,  14. 


150  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


Loo  fçhammee  shomeagh  lee 
O  that  my  people  had  hearkened  unto  me, 
i3Sn> 

Yisrael  biderakee  yehallekoo  ! 
And  Israel  had  walked  in  my  ways! 

The  deep  hollow  sounds  in  these  words, 
interspersed  and  interrupted  at  proper  distances 
with  strong  gutturals,  show  a  mind  so  much 
penetrated  with  sorrow  and  distress,  that  every 
accent  forcibly  expresses  the  anguish  of  the 
heart  ;  and  the  sounds  as  strongly  as  the  sense 
unite  in  a  last  effort  of  sorrowful  affectionate 
eloquence,  to  call  back  an  ungrateful  and  rebel- 
lious, but  tenderly  beloved  people  to  a  sense  of 
their  duty  and  interest  ;  that  their  otherwise 
unavoidable  destruction  might  be  prevented. 

The  second  is  contained  in  Isa.  xxiv,  16. 

Wayomer  razee  lee,  razee  lee. 
And  I  said,  My  leanness!  my  leanness! 

,âuee  lee,  bogedeem  bagadoo. 
Wo  is  me  !  the  treacherous  dealers  have  dealt 
treacherously  ! 

Oobeged  bogedeem  bagadoo. 
Yea,  the  treacherous  dealers  have  dealt  treacherously  ! 

I  question  whether  the  justly  celebrated 

Bri  6*  aKtiav  traça  diva  'nokvcfXoiaSoio  Ba\aaaiji 
Silent,  he  wandered  by  the  sounding  maw. 

lhad,  i,  V,  32. 


THEIR  POLITENESS.  15fe 

where  the  swelling  of  the  wave  and  its  dash  upon 
the  beach  are  inimitably  expressed  by  the  sounds 
of  the  words  ;  or  the  famous 

Q,uadrupedante  putrem  sonitu  qualit  imgula  campum, 

 the  thundering  coursers  bound 

Thro'  clouds  of  dust,  and  paw  the  trembling  ground. 

Virgil,  En.  viii,  I.  596. 

where  the  numbers  of  the  verse  perfectly  imitate 
the  prancing  or  iroiting  of  the  steeds,  possess 
such  a  claim  to  distinguished  excellence  as  the 
above.  Were  ever  plaintive  sobbings  more 
forcibly  expressed  than  in  the  two  last  hemis- 
tichs  ] 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Politeness  of  the  Israelites. 

To  return  to  the  common  sort  of  the  Hebrews, 
Since  they  were  so  well  instructed,  and  born 
in  a  country  where  people  are  naturally  ingenu- 
ous, they  could  not  fail  of  being  polite  :  for  we 
are  not  to  suppose  that  inconsistent  with  a 
country  life  and  bodily  labour.  The  example 
of  the  Greeks  plainly  proves  the  contrary.  I 
mean  by  politeness  here,  in  general,  whatsoever 
distinguishes  us  from  barbarous  nations;  on  one 
side,  humanity  and  civility,  demonstrations  of 
friendship  and  respect  in  the  common  transac- 
tions of  life  :  and  on  the  other,  prudence  in 
business,  address,  and  propriety  of  behaviour, 
and  all  thsit  comes  under  the  denomination  of 
good  conduct. 


152        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


As  to  civility,  the  Greeks,  living  for  the  most 
part  in  commonwealths,  were  so  jealous  of 
their  liberty  that  they  treated  one  another  as 
equals,  and  their  compliments  went  no  farther 
than  showing  esteem  and  friendship,  in  which 
the  Romans  imitated  them.  The  civilities  of 
the  eastern  people  came  nearer  to  ours,  and 
were  most  respectful.  They  called  those  lords, 
whom  they  had  a  mind  to  honour,  made  vows 
of  obedience  to  them,  and  bowed  themselves 
to  the  earth  before  them,  which  the  Scripture 
calls  adoring i 

The  Hebrews  did  so  even  before  they  had 
kings,  as  early  as  the  time  of  the  patriarchs  : 
which  proceeded,  in  all  likelihood,  from  the 
customs  of  the  neighbouring  people,  who  had 
long  been  subject  to  masters.  It  was  not  reck-* 
oned  ill  manners  to  s^  ilwu  and  thee  to  each 
other  ;  all  the  ancients  spoke  in  that  manner, 
and  most  nations  still  do  so.  It  was  not  till 
about  the  decay  of  the  Roman  empire  that  the 
'plural  began  to  be  used  in  speaking  to  one 
person. 

It  was  usual  to  kiss  in  saluting  :  and  instead 
of  uncovering,  as  we  do,  out  of  respect,  they 
pulled  olf  their  shoes  when  they  went  into  sa- 
cred places,  as  the  eastern  nations  do  to  this 
day.  Uncovering  the  head  was  a  sign  of 
mourning. 

We  see  examples  of  their  compliments  in 
those  of  Ruth,  ii,  10,  13,  Abigail,  1  Sam.  xxv, 
23,  41,  the  woman  of  Tekoah,  2  Sam.  xiv,  4, 
9,  17,  whom  Joab  employed  to  get  Absalom 


THEIR  POLITENESS. 


153 


recalled,  and  Judith,  chap,  x,  23.  Ail  these 
are  examples  of  women,  who  are  generally 
more  complaisant  than  men.  They  liked  to 
speak  in  parables  and  ingenious  riddles.  Their 
language  was  modest  and  chaste,  but  in  a  dif- 
ferent way  from  ours.  They  said  the  ivaler  of 
the  feet^  for  urine  ;  and  to  cover  the  feet^  for 
easing  nature  ;  because  in  that  action  they 
covered  thernselves  with  their  mantle,  after  they 
had  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground,  Deut.  xxiii,  13. 
They  said  the  thigh,  when  they  meant  the  parts 
which  modesty  forbids  to  name.  In  other  re- 
.«pects  they  have  expressions  that  seem  very 
harsh  to  us  ;  as  when  they  speak  of  conception 
and  the  birth  of  children,  of  women  that  are 
fruitful  or  barren,  and  make  no  scruple  of  nam- 
ing some  infirmities  of  both  sexes  which  we 
make  use  of  circumlocution  to  exprèss. 

All  these  differences  proceed  only  from  dis- 
tance of  time  and  place.  Most  of  the  words, 
which  are  now  immodest  according  to  the  pre- 
sent use  of  our  language,  were  not  so  formerly, 
because  they  conveyed  other  ideas  ;  and  the 
eastern  people,  especially  the  Mohammedans, 
are  ridiculously  nice  about  certain  indecencies 
that  have  no  influence  upon  the  manners,  while 
they  give  themselves  great  liberty  in  the  most 
infamous  pleasures.  The  Scripture  speaks 
more  plainly  than  we  should  do  of  conjugal  af- 
fairs, because  there  was  not  one  Israelite  that 
renounced  marriage,  and  they  that  wrote  were 
grave  and  commonly  old  men. 

As  for  prudence,  good  or  bad  conduct,  ad» 
11 


164       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


dress,complaisance,  artifice, and  court  intrigues, 
the  history  of  Saul  and  David  furnishes  us  with 
as  many  examples  of  them  as  any  other  with 
which  I  am  acquainted. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Their  Amusements* 

Their,  easy  and  quiet  life,  added  to  the 
beauty  of  the  country,  inclined  them  to  amuse- 
ments ;  but  such  as  were  rational  and  easy  to 
be  procured.  They  had  scarcely  any  but  mu- 
sic and  conviviality.  Their  feasts,  as  I  have 
before  observed,  were  made  of  plain  meat,  which 
they  had  out  of  their  own  stock  ;  and  their  mun 
sic  cost  ihem  still  less,  since  most  people  knew 
how  to  sing  and  play  upon  some  instrument. 
Old  Barzillai  names  only  these  two  pleasures, 
when  he  was  too  far  advanced  in  years  to  relish 
life,  2  Sam.  xix,  35.  The  author  of  Ecclesi- 
asticus  compares  a  concert  of  music  in  a  ban- 
quet of  nine  to  a  signet  of  carbuncle  set  in  gold^ 
Ecclus.  xxxii,  5,  6.  So  Ulysses  frankly  owned 
to  the  Phaeaeians,  that  he  knew  no  greater  hap- 
piness than  a  feast  accompanied  with  music. 
\Odyss.  lib.  viii.)  We  see  the  same  pleasures 
mentioned  in  those  passages  of  Sciipture,  where 
the  prophets  reproached  those  that  abused  them, 
but  they  added  excess  of  wine,  crowns,  and 
flowers,  and  perfumes,  as  we  see  the  Greeks 


THEIR  AMUSEMENTS. 


155 


and  Romans  did,  Amos  vi,  4,  6  ;  Isaiah  v,  11, 
12  ;  xxviii,  3. 

We  have  a  catalogue  of  the  perfumes  which 
the  Hebrews  made  use  of  in  the  Song  of  Solo- 
mon, and  many  other  places  of  Scripture  ;  but 
especially  in  the  law,  where  it  prescribes  the 
composition  of  two  sorts  that  were  to  be  offered 
to  God  ;  the  one  wet,  and  the  other  dry,  Exo- 
dus XXX,  23,  &c.  The  drugs  there  named  for 
making  them  are  the  most  odoriferous  that  were 
known,  before  musk  and  ambergrise  were  found 
out. 

They  loved  eating  in  gardens  under  arbours 
and  shady  places,  for  it  is  natural  in  hot  coun- 
tries to  seek  coolness  and  fresh  air.  So  when 
the  Scripture  describes  a  time  of  prosperity,  it 
says  that  every  one  ate  and  drank  under  his  own 
vine  and  under  his  own  fig  tree,  which  fruit 
trees  have  the  broadest  leaves,  1  Kings  iv,  4,  5; 
Mic.  iv,  4  ;  Zech.  iii,  10. 

Their  employment  in   country  labour  did 
not  allow  of  their  feasting  or  following  their 
diversions  every  day,  as  most  of  the  rich  do 
now;  but  it  served  to  make  them*relish  them 
better.    They  had  therefore  stated  times  of  re- 
joicing, Sabbath  days,  and  all  other  feasts  taken 
'    notice  of  in  the  law,  weddings,  dividing  the  spoil 
after  victory,  sheep  shearing,  harvest,  and  vint- 
j    age,  in  each  particular  estate,  where  the  neigh- 
Ï   hours  came  together  to  assist  each  other,  Isa. 
t  ix,  3;  xvi,  9,  10.    It  is  well  known  that  the 
I    feasts  of  Bacchus  and  Ceres  had  their  rise 
I  among  the  Greeks  from  such  rejoicings  ;  and 


156         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


we  still  see  some  footsteps  of  it  among  the 
country  people.*  The  Israelites  had  no  pro- 
fane shows.  They  were  contented  with  the 
ceremonies  of  religion,  and  the  poiftp  of  sacri- 
fices, which  must  needs  have  been  very  great, 
since  the  temple  was  the  most  magnificent  build- 
ing in  the  whole  country,  and  there  were  Ihirty- 
two  thousand  Lévites  appointed  for  its  service. 

I  do  not  perceive  that  they  had  either  gaming 
or  hunting,  which  are  reckoned  with  us  among 
the  highest  diversions.  As  to  gaming,  it  seems 
as  if  they  were  entirely  ignorant  of  it,  since  we 
do  not  so  much  as  once  find  the  name  of  it  in 
the  whole  Scripture.  Not  but  the  people  of 
Ijydia  had  already  invented  games,  if  what  is 
said  of  them  be  tiue.t  But  to  this  day  the 
Arabians,  and  some  other  eastern  nations  play 
at  no  games  of  hazard,  at  least  if  they  observe 
their  law.  As  to  hunting,  either  beasts  or  birds, 
it  was  not  unknown  to  the  Israelites  ;  but  it 
looks  as  if  they  followed  it  rather  for  furnishing 
their  tables,  and  preserving  their  corn  and  vines, 
than  for  pleasure.  For  they  often  speak  of  nets 
and  snares,  but  we  do  not  find  that  even  their 
kings  had  either  dogs  or  any  hunting  equipage.  It 
^ould  no  doubt  have  made  them  odious  to  have 

*  In  the  fcRsts  usually  made  at  the  conclusion  of  har- 
dest, and  bringing  home  the  corn. 

t  Herodotus  says,  Clio.  p.  45,  that  the  Lydians  in- 
vented the  plays  of  dice,  tennis,  tables,  &c,  (e^evpcdrjvat 
èe  u)V  TOTE  Kai  rwv  kvÔojv,  kui  tu)v  aç-payaXwv,  Kai  tpiç  a(j)aipriç) 
to  divert  and  amuse  them  in  a  time  of  great  scarcity  : 
but'the  account  is  accompanied  with  such  circumstances 
as  render  it  incredible. 


tHEIR  MOURNING. 


157 


hunted  over  ploughed  laiids,  or  bred  beasts  to  do 
mischief,'^  Hunting  prevails  chiefly  in  the  vast 
forests  and  untilled  lands  of  cold  countries. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Their  JMourning. 

After  rejoicings,  let  us  speak  of  their  mourn- 
ing and  siirns  of  afiliction.  The  ancients  did 
not  only  go  into  mourning  upon  the  death  of 
relations,  but  as  often  as  any  misfortune  hap- 
pened to  them  :  and  it  did  not  consist  merely 
in  changing  dress.  The  causes  of  it  were  ei- 
ther public  calamities,  as  a  mortalily,  a  general 
scarcity,  an  invasion  ;  or  private  misfortunes, 
as  the  death  of  a  relation  or  friend,  on  account 
of  his  being  dangerously  ill,  or  taken  captive,  or 
when  one  was  accused  of  a  crime. 

The  signs  of  mourning  among  the  Israelites 
were,  tearing  their  clothes  as  soon  as  they  heard 
of  any  ill  news,  or  if  they  happened  to  be  pre- 
sent at  committing  any  great  wickedness,  as 
blasphemy,  or  any  other  sin  against  God,  1 
Kings  xxi,  27  ;  to  beat  their  breast  ;  to  put  their 
hands  upon  their  head,  Jer.  ii,  37;  uncover  it, 
and  throw  dust  or  ashes  upon  it,  instead  of  per- 
fumes, which  they  used  in  the  times  of  joy  ;  to 
shave  the  beard  and  hair  off.   On  the  contrary, 

*  As  it  docs  those  who  employ  themselves  in  this 
unmanly  and  destructive  exercise  in  tlie  present  day. 


158         MANNERS  or  THE  ISRAELITES. 


the  Romans,  who  used  to  shave,  let  their  hair 
grow  in  the  time  of  mourning. 

As  long  as  the  mourning  lasted,  they  were 
neither  to  anoint  nor  wash  themselves,  but  wear 
their  clothes  dirty  and  torn,  or  else  put  on  sack- 
cloth, which  was  a  straight  garment  without 
folds,  and  consequently  was  very  uneasy  :  they 
called  it  also  hair  cloth,  because  the  stuff  was 
iTiade  of  coarse  camelot,  or  something  else  that 
was  coarse  or  rough.  They  bared  the  feet  as 
well  as  head,  but  had  their  face  covered,  Ezek. 
xxiv,  17.  Sometimes  they  wrapped  themselves 
up  in  a  mantle,  that  they  might  not  see  light, 
and  to  hide  their  tears.  They  fasted  at  the 
same  time  that  they  mourned,  that  is,  as  long 
as  they  were  in  mourning.  They  cither  ate 
nothing  at  all,  or  not  till  after  sunset,  and  then 
only  plain  food,  as  bread,  or  herbs,  and  drank 
nothing  but  water. 

They  continued  shut  up,  sitting  upon  the 
ground,  or  lying  in  the  ashes,  keeping  a  pro- 
found silence.  Lament,  ii,  10,  and  not  speaking 
but  to  bemoan  themselves,  or  sing  some  dole- 
ful song.  Mourning  for  a  dead  person  com- 
monly lasted  seven  days,  1  Samuel  xxxi,  13  ; 
sometimes  they  continued  it  a  monlh,  as  for 
Aaron  and  Moses,  Numb,  xx,  29  ;  Deut. 
xxxiv,  8  ;  and  sometimes  seventy  days,  as  they 
did  for  the  patriarch  Jacob,  Gen.  1,  3.*  But 

*  But  this  seems  to  have  been  an  Egyptian  custom 
rather  than  one  pecuhar  to  the  Hebrews  ;  for  it  is  ex- 
pressly said  that  it  was  the  E:j;yptians  who  mourned  Jur 
him  (Jacob)  threc-scurc  and  ten  days. 


THEiR  MOURNING. 


159 


some  widows  mourned  their  whole  lives,  as 
Judith,  and  Anna  the  prophetess. 

Thus  their  mourning  was  not,  like  ours,  à 
mere  ceremony,  in  which  the  rich  only  observe 
some  set  forms.  It  was  attended  with  all  the 
natural  consequences  of  real  grief;  for  a  per- 
son in  affliction  takes  no  care  of  his  dress,  or 
of  keeping  himself  clean  ;  he  can  hardly  re- 
solve to  eat  ;  he  speaks  not,  or,  if  he  does,  it  is 
only  to  bewail  himself  ;  he  goes  not  abroad, 
and  avoids  all  diversions.  The  Israelites  were 
not  the  only  people  that  mourned  after  this  man- 
ner ;  the  Greeks  and  Romans  did  so  long  after; 
since  St.  Chrysostom  describes  it  to  be  pretty 
much  the  same  in  his  time.*  I  do  not  doubt 
but  some  acted  a  part,  and  did  all  that  I  men-^ 
tioned,  without  being  in  any  great  concern  ; 
those  however  that  were  in  earnest  were  at 
liberty,  if  they  pleased,  to  indulge  themselves 
in  it. 

But  in  general  both  the  Israelites  and  all  the 
ancients  followed  nature  more  than  we,  and 
were  under  less  constraint  in  venting  their  pas- 
sions. They  sung  and  danced  when  they 
were  pleased  ;  and  wept  and  cried  aloud  when 
they  were  grieved.  When  they  were  afraid 
they  owned  it  frankly  ;  and  in  their  anger  they 
abused  one  another  heartily.  Homer  and  the 
tragic  poets  furnish  us  with  examples  in  every 
page.  See  what  affliction  Achilles  is  in  for  the 
death  of  Patroclus,  and  in  Sophocles  the  bitter 


*  Chrysost.  ad  Dcmetr,  de  compunct.  t.  0, 


160 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


lamentations  of  Oedipus  and  Philoctetes.  Phi- 
losophy and  Christianity  have  now  corrected 
the  outward  behaviour  in  those  that  are  well 
bred  and  have  a  good  education.  They  are 
taught  to  speak  like  heroes  or  saints,  though 
most  are  not  at  all  better  at  the  bottom,  and 
are  contented  to  disguise  their  passions,  without 
conquering,  or  even  striving  against  them. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Their  Funerals,^ 

Their  funerals  will  fall  in  preltj  well  here 
with  their  mourning.  The  ancients  in  general 
took  great  care  about  them,  and  looked  upon  it 
as  a  terrible  misfortune  that  their  bodies,  or 
those  of  their  friends,  should  lie  exposed  to  be 
torn  by  wild  beasts  and  birds,  or  to  putrefy 
above  ground,  and  infect  the  living.  It  was  a 
consolation  to  rest  in  the  sepulchre  of  their 
fathers.  Instead  of  burning  the  bodies,  as  the 
Greeks  did  to  preserve  the  ashes,  the  Hebrews 
buried  the  common  sort  of  people,  and  em- 
balmed persons  of  distinction  to  lay  them  in 
sepulchres.  They  also  sometimes  burnt  per- 
fumes over  the  corpse.  At  the  funeral  of  Asa, 
king  of  Judah,  it  is  said,  "  they  laid  him  on  a 
bed  which  was  filled  with  sweet  odours,  and 

*  For  ample  information  on  the  subject  of  this  chap- 
ter, see  Joan,  J^icolai  de  Sepulchris  llchrcconm^  4fo,  Lvg. 
Bat.  1706. 


THEiïl  FUNERALS. 


161 


divers  kinds  of  spices  prepared  by  the  apothe- 
caries' art  ;  and  they  made  a  very  gr^at  burn- 
ing for  him  and  that  this  was  customary 
appears  from  other  passages.  They  embalmed 
almost  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Egyptians, 
wrapping  the  corpse  in  a  great  quantity  of  dry^ 
ing  spices  :  after  this  they  laid  it  in  the  sepul- 
chre, which  was  a  little  cavity  or  closet,  cut  in 
the  rock  so  artfully  that  some  had  doors  to  shut, 
which  turned  upon  hinges,  and  a  table  to  lay  the 
body  upon,  all  cut  oat  of  the  same  stone.  There 
are  still  many  of  them  to  be  seen. 

They  that  attended  the  funeral  were  in 
mourning,  and  wept  aloud,  as  they  did  at  the 
burial  of  Abner,  2  Sam.  iii,  31. 

There  were  women  that  made  a  trade  of 
crying  upon  these  occasions,  and  joined  the 
mournful  sound  of  flutes  with  their  voices,  Jer. 
ix,  17  ;  Matt,  ix,  23. |  In  fine,  they  composed 
songs  instead  of  funeral  orations  for  illustrious 
persons  that  came  to  an  unfortunate  end.  Such 
were  those  that  David  made  upon  the  death  of 
Saul,  2  Sam.  i,  17,  and  Jeremiah  the  prophet 
upon  that  of  Josiah,  2  Chron.  xxxv,  25. 

Though  burying  the  dead  was  a  duty  of 
piety,  yet  there  was  no  religious  ceremony  used 
at  it  :  on  the  contrary  it  was  a  profane  action, 

*  2  Chron.  xvi,  14,  compared  with  2  Chron.  xxi,  19, 
and  Jer.  xxxiv,  5. 

t  This  ceremony  is  still  kept  up  among  the  native 
Irish  ;  in  what  is  termed  their  Caoinian,  or  funeral  cry, 
I   between  whose  customs  and  those  of  the  ancient  He- 
!  kjrews  there  is  a  striking  similarity. 


162       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


and  rendered  all  those  unclean  that  were  con- 
cerned in  it,  till  they  were  purified  ;  because 
all  dead  bodies  are  either  actually  corrupted, 
or  in  a  state  that  tends  to  it.  Thus  priests  were 
so  far  from  being  necessary  at  burials,  that 
they  were  absolutely  forbidden  to  assist  at  any 
except  of  their  very  near  relations,  Lev.  xxi,  1, 
2,  3.  When  Josiah  designed  to  root  out  idol- 
atry, he  caused  the  bones  of  the  false  prophets 
to  be  burnt  upon  the  altars  of  the  idols, 
2  Chron.  xxxiv,  5,  to  inspire  his  people  with  a 
greater  abhorrence  of  them. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Their  Religion. 

What  has  been  said  relates  to  the  private 
life  of  the  Israelites.  We  come  now  to  their 
religious  and  political  government.  I  shall  not 
at  present  be  very  prolix  in  explaining  their 
creed  :  we  ought  to  be  acquainted  with  it,  for 
it  is  contained  in  our  own.  I  shall  only  observe, 
that  some  truths  v/ere  revealed  to  them  clearly, 
while  others  were  still  obscure,  though  they 
were  already  revealed.  (Jos,  cont,  App,,  1.  ii, 
c.  8.) 

What  they  knew  distinctly  was  this  :  that 
there  is  but  one  God,  Deut.  iv,  39  ;  vi,  4  :  that 
he  governs  all  things  by  his  providence,  Ps.  civ, 
cxxv  :  that  there  is  no  trust  to  be  put  in  any  but 
him,  nor  good  to  be  expected  from  any  one  else, 


TliEIR  RELIGION. 


163 


Psalm  Ixii  ;  Isa.  xxxvi,  xxxvii  ;  Jer.  xvii,  5-8  : 
that  he  sees  every  thing,  even  the  secrets  of 
the  heart,  Psalm  exxxix  :  that  he  influences  the 
will  by  his  inward  operation,  and  turns  it  as 
he  pleases,  Prov.  xxi,  1  :  that  all  men  are  born 
in  sin,  and  naturally  inclined  to  evil,  Psa.  li,  5  ; 
Gen.  vi,  5  :  that,  however,  they  may  do  good, 
yet  only  by  God's  assistance,  Deut.  xxx,  6  ; 
Ezek.  xxxvi,  25,  27  :  that  they  are  free,  and 
have  the  choice  of  doing  good  or  evil,  Deut. 
xxx,  19,  20  :  that  God  is  strictly  just,  and  pun- 
ishes or  rewards  men  according  to  their  works, 
Psa.  xxxvii,  1,6;  xc,  1,  &c  :  that  he  is  full  of 
mercy  and  compassion  for  those  that  sincerely 
repent  of  their  sins,  Deut.  xxxii,  1,2;  Exod. 
xxxiv,  7  ;  Num.  xiv,  18  :  that  he  judges  the 
actions  of  all  men  after  their  death,  Eccles. 
viii,  11  ;  xi,  9  ;  xii,  14  ;  Wisdom  ii,  23  ;* 
whence  it  follows  that  the  soul  is  immortal, 
and  that  there  is  another  life. 

They  knew  beside,  that  God,  out  of  his  mere 
loving  kindness,  had  chosen  them  from  among 
all  mankind  to  be  his  faithful  people,  Deut.  vii, 
6  ;  ix,  5,  6  :  that  from  them,  of  the  tribe  of  Ju- 
dah,  and  the  family  of  David,  would  be  born 
a  Saviour,  Gen.  xlix,  10;  Isaiah  xi,  1,  10,  that 
should  deliver  them  from  all  their  hardships, 
and  bring  all  nations  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  God.    All  this  they  knew  very  clearly,  and 

*  IIow  far  this  was  their  general  belief,  I  must  leave 
to  be  settled  between  Dr.  Warbiuton  and  his  oppo- 
nents. 


164        MANNERS 'of   THE  ISRAELITES. 

it  was  the  most  usual  subject  of  their  prayer:^ 
and  meditations.  This  was  that  exalted  wis- 
dom which  distinguished  them  from  all  the  peo- 
ple of  the  earth.  For  whereas,  in  other  nations," 
none  but  the  wise  men  knew  some  of  these 
great  truths,  and  that  but  imperfectly,  and  had 
different  opinions  about  them;  {Orig,  cont. 
Cels.  ;)  all  the  Israelites  were  instructed  in  this 
doctrine,  and  did  not  vary  the  least  in  their  no- 
tions aboutit.  {Joseph,  1.  ii,  c.  Jlpp.  6.) 

The  truths  they  were  taught  more  obscurely 
were,  that  in  God  there  are  three  persons,  Fa- 
ther, Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  Gen.  i,  26  ;  Psalm 
xxxiii,  6  ;  Isa.  xlviii,  16  ;  that  the  Saviour  they 
expected  should  be  God,  and  the  Son  of  God, 
Prov.  XXX,  4  ;  that  he  should  be  both  God  and 
man  at  the  same  time,  Isa.  vii,  14  ;  that  God 
would  not  give  men  his  grace,  and  the  assist- 
ance necessary  to  perform  his  law,  but  through 
this  Saviour,  and  upon  account  of  his  merits. 
Psalm  xlv,  6,  7  ;  Gen.  xxii,  18  ;  that  he  should 
suffer  death  to  expiate  the  sins  of  mankind,  Isa. 
liii,  5,  6,  11  ;  Daniel  ix,  26  ;  that  his  kingdom 
should  be  altogether  spiritual;  that  all  men 
shall  rise  again,  Job  xix,  25-27  :  that  in  another 
life  there  shall  be  a  just  reward  for  the  good, 
Psalm  xvii,  15,  and  punishment  for  the  wicked. 
All  this  is  taught  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament  ;  but  not  so  clearly  that  all  the  peo- 
ple knew  it  ;  neither  were  men  capable  at  that 
time  of  bearing  such  sublime  truths. 

But  my  design  is  only  to  explain  in  what  the 
outward  practice  of  their  religion  differed  from 


THE  TEMPLE. 


165 


our  customs.  They  had  only  one  temple  and 
one  altar  on  which  it  was  lawful  to  ofier  sacri- 
fice to  God  :  this  was  a  symbol  of  God's  unity  : 
and  this  building  was  the  most  magnificent  in 
the  whole  world,  to  represent  also  his  sovereign 
majesty.  It  was  not  one  only  building,  like 
most  of  our  churches,  but  a  great  enclosure, 
comprehending  courts  surrounded  with  galle- 
ries, and  several  offices  for  the  different  courses 
of  priests  and  Lévites,  beside  the  body  of  the 
temple.  The  temples  of  other  nations,  as  the 
Egyptians  and  Chaldeans,  had  also  large  edi- 
fices adjoining  to  them,  and  stood  upon  a  great 
deal  of  ground  :  but  they  always  planted  trees 
about  them  :  whereas  the  Israelites  would  not 
suff^er  any  to  grow  near  theirs,  that  they  might 
keep  entirely  free  from  the  superstition  of  groves, 
which  the  Pagans  held  sacred. 
The  body  of  the  temple  was  sixty*  cubits  long, 

*  We  find  two  different  cubits  in  the  Scripture  ;  one  of 
them  equal  (?ts  Dr.  Arbuthnot  says)  to  an  English  foot, 
nine  inches  and  eight  hundred  and  eighty-eight  thou- 
sandths of  an  inch  ;  being  a  fourth  part  of  the  fathmn^ 
double  the  span^  and  six  times  the  palm.  The  other  equal 
to  one  foot  and  eight  hundred  and  twenty-four  thou- 
sandths of  a  foot,  or  the  four  hundredth  part  of  a  stadi- 
um. The  Romans  too  had  a  cubit  equal  to  one  Eng- 
lish foot,  five  inches,  and  four  hundred  and  six  thou- 
sandths of  an  inch.  Father  Mersenne  makes  the  Hebrew 
cubit  one  foot,  four  digits,  and  five  lines,  with  regard  to 
the  foot  of  the  capital.  According  to  Hero,  the  geome- 
trical cubit  is  twenty-four  digits  :  and  according  to  Vi- 
truvius,  the  foot  is  two  thirds  of  the  Roman  cubit,  i.  e, 
sixteen  digits  or  finger's  breadths.  The  Scripture  says 
here,  the  cubits  were  after  the  first  measure.  Vide 
2  Chron.  iii,  3.— E.  F. 


166        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


and  twenty  broad,  and  thirty  high,  without 
reckoning  the  holy  of  holies^  which  joined  to 
it  on  the  same  floor,  and  was  twenty  cubits  in 
length,  and  twenty  in  breadth,  and  twenty  in 
height,  1  Kings  vi,  2,  3,  20  ;  {Jos.  Ant.  1.  xv, 
c.  ult.  and  de  bell.  Jud.  1.  vi,  c.  6.)  At  the  en- 
trance there  was  a  porch  that  supported  a  great 
tower  a  hundred  and  twenty  cubits  high,  and 
twenty  broad,  2  Chron.  iii,  4  ;  1  Kings  vi,  3. 
I  leave  the  learned  to  judge  of  the  proportions. 
But  I  must  desire  those  that  think  the  temple 
small  to  consider,  that  the  people  were  never 
to  go  into  it  ;  only  the  priests,  and  such  as 
waited  on  them,  and  that  at  stated  times,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  to  light  the  lamps,  and  offer 
bread  and  perfumes.  The  high  priest  w^as  the 
only  person  that  entered  into  the  sanctuary 
where  the  ark  of  the  covenant  stood,  nor  did 
he  go  in  oftener  than  once  a  year. 

The  whole  temple,  and  sanctuary  too,  were 
wainscoted  with  cedar,  adorned  with  carvings, 
and  all  covered  with  plates  of  gold.  On  the 
outside  it  was  surrounded  with  two  cedar  floors, 
which  made  three  stories  of  chambers  for  dif- 
ferent uses.  {Cœnacula.)  Before  the  temple, 
in  a  great  court,  was  the  altar  for  holocausts, 
or  whole  burnt  offerings,  that  is  to  say,  a  plat- 
form thirty  cubits  square  and  fifteen  high.  The 
priests  went  up  to  it  by  an  easy  ascent  without 
steps,  to  place  the  wood  and  victims  in  order. 
In  the  same  court  were  ten  great  brazen  basins 
set  upon  rolling  bottoms  ;  and  that  which  was 
supported  by  twelve  oxen  the  Scripture  calls 
the  brazen  sea. 


CHAMBERS  OF  THE  TEMPLE.  167 


This  court  belonged  to  the  priests,  especially 
that  part  between  the  altar  and  the  porch,  for 
the  laity  might  advance  as  far  as  the  altar  to 
present  their  victims  and  slay  them  when  they 
offered  sacrifices.  The  Lévites  stood  upon 
the  stairs  of  the  porch  which  faced  the  temple 
to  sing  and  play  upon  musical  instruments,  Ez. 
xl,  xli,  xlii.  The  court  of  the  priests  was  en- 
closed with  galleries,  and  surrounded  with  a 
first  court  much  larger,  which  was  the  usual 
place  for  the  people,  where  the  w^omen  were 
separated  from  the  men,  and  the  Gentiles  might 
not  come  any  farther  than  to  stand  under  the 
galleries  which  made  the  enclosure  of  the  first 
court.  There  were  several  parlours,  chambers, 
and  storehouses,  for  different  uses,  adjoining  to 
these  galleries  of  each  enclosure.  {Gazophyla- 
cia,  Pastophoria,  Thalamic  Exedrœ,  vid.  Jer. 
XXXV,  4.) 

They  had  treasuries  for  the  sacred  vessels  of 
gold  find  silver,  which  were  so  numerous  that 
even  at  their  return  from  the  captivity  they 
brought  home  five  thousand   four  hundred, 
1  Esd.  ii,  14  ;  vestries  likewise  for  the  sacer- 
dotal habits,  Ezek.  xliv,  19,  and  storehouses, 
where  they  laid  up  the  offerings  set  apart  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  priests  and  Lévites,  wi- 
dows and  orphans  ;  and  what  was  committed 
\    to  their  charge  by  private  people,  2  Chronicles 
I    xxxi,  11  ;  2  Mace,  iii,  10.  For  it  was  custom- 
Î    ary  with  the  ancients  to  deposit  what  was  given 
for  the  public  in  temples.  (  Talmud.  Cod.  Mid- 
'    doth,)    In  other  places  they  kept  wine  and  oil 


168        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


for  the  libations,  salt  to  season  all  the  sacri- 
fices, and  the  lambs  that  had  been  picked  out 
to  be  offered  at  the  evening  and  morning  sacri- 
fice, which  was  never  omitted.  In  other  places 
thev  made  show  bread,  and  what  other  pastry 
was  necessary  for  the  sacrifices.  They  had 
kitchens  for  the  flesh  of  the  victims,  eating 
rooms  for  the  priests  and  guard  of  the  Lévites, 
that  kept  the  doors  and  watched  the  temple  day 
and  night  ;  beside  lodgings  for  those  of  them 
that  were  musicians,  Ezek.  xl,  44  ;  one,  where 
the  Nazarites  were  shaved  after  their  vow  ; 
another,  to  examine  lepers  in  a  hall  where  the 
chief  council  of  seventy  elders  was  held,  and 
other  rooms  of  the  same  nature,  with  which  we 
are  not  so  particularly  acquainted.  So  many 
fine  regular  buildings  gave,  no  doubt,  a  high 
idea  of  the  great  King  that  was  served  in  that 
sacred  place. 

They  offered  four  lambs  every  day  for  a 
holocaust,  two  in  the  morning  and  two  -in  the 
evening  :  and  this  is  what  was  called  ifie  con^ 
tinual  sacrifice,^  On  Sabbath  and  festival  days 
the  sacrifices  were  mutiplied  in  proportion  to 
the  solemnity,  without  reckoning  the  offerings 
of  private  people,  which  were  daily  very  nume- 
rous. 

We  are  offended  at  the  bloody  sat;rifices 
which  made  the  temple  a  shambles  :  but  it  was 
the  same  among  other  nations  ;  an<i;d^e  Issrael- 
ites  had  taken  sufiicient  precautioiijLfor  per- 

*  ti>èt^f^x^ffnoç,  juge  sacrificiam. 


^  THEIR  SACRIFICES. 


169 


forming  these  sacrifices  with  all  the  cleanliness 
and  decency  imaginable.  The  situation  of  the 
temple  contributed  to  it  :  for  as  it  was  upon  a 
mountain,  they  had  made  drains  underneath  to 
carry  off  the  blood  and  nastiness.  The  peculiar 
part  of  the  priests'  office  was  only  to  pour  out 
the  blood,  light  the  fire,  and  lay  the  pieces  upon 
it  that  were  to  be  offered,  Lev.  iv,  10.  There 
were  cfthers  to  kill  the'  victims,  prepare  them, 
cut  them  in  pieces,  and  dress  them  ;  we  see  it 
in  the  law,  and  the  story  of  the  sons  of  Elf, 
1  Sam.  ii,  13.  The  priests  never  did  these 
things  but  at  the  puWic  sacrifices  that  were 
offered  for  all  the  people. 

After  this,  we  axe  not  to  think  the  compari- 
son of  a  pot  strange,  which  we  read  of  in  Jere- 
miah and  Eze&iel,  to  represent  Jerusalem, 
Jer.  i,  13  ;  Ezek.  xxiv,  3,  4.  These  two  pro- 
phets were  priests,  and  used  to  see  the  sancti- 
fied meat  dressed.  Now  they  esteemed  every 
thing  honourable  that  was  employed  in  the  ser- 
vice of  God,  and  the  performing  of  the  law  : 
beside,  it  was  usual  Tor  the  very  best  of  people 
to  work  with  their  own  hands^  and  dp  the  neces- 
sary offices  of  life  themselves,  as  we  said  be- 
fore. Thus,  in  Homer,  King  Agamemnon  kills . 
the  lambs  with  his  own  hands,  {Iliad  iii,  v. 
290,)  the  blood  of  which  was  the  seal  of  the 
treaty  he  had  made  with  the  Trojans.  Thus, 
when  Nestor  sacrificed  to  Minerva,  his  own 
1  sons  kill  the  victims,  cut  the  flesh  in  pieces,  and 
:  broil  it.  (Odyss.  iii,  v.  448-465.)  Homer 
abound^  with  examples  of  this  sort,  not  only 


170       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

when  he  is  speaking  of  religious  matters,  but 
upon  other  occasions  ;  as  when  Achilles  enter- 
tained the  messengers  of  the  other  Grecian 
generals. 

As  to  the  rest,  every  thing  that  is  prescribed 
by  the  law  relating  to  the  quality  of  victims, 
and  the  manner  of  performing  the  sacrifices, 
tended  rather  to  cure  the  Israelites  of  their  su- 
perstitions by  confining  them  to  a  few  ceremo- 
nies, than  to  introduce  new  ones.  {TertulL  in 
Marc.  1.  ii,  cap.  18.)  Idolaters  sacrificed  in 
more  places,  used  more  ceremonies,  and  a 
greater  variety  of  animals  :  (Herod.  1.  ii,  c.  40  :) 
for  they  had  every  where  temples  and  altars, 
and  each  family  had  their  domestic  gods  and 
particular  superstitions.  Thus  God  prepared 
his  people  in  a  distinct  manner  for  the  abolish- 
ing bloody  sacrifices,  telling  them  often  at  the 
same  time  by  his  prophets,  that  he  had  no  need 
of  them,  that  they  were  not  essential  to  religion, 
and  that  the  worship  most  agreeable  to  him  was 
gratitude  and  purity  of  heart,  1  Sam.  xv,  22  ; 
Psalm  1,  8,  &c  ;  Isaiah  Ixvi,  3. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  priests  to  be  mar- 
ried, as  the  priesthood  was  annexed  to  the 
family  of  Aaron  :  but  they  parted  from  their 
wives  during  the  time  of  their  officiating,  and 
drank  neither  wine  nor  any  other  liquor  that 
could  intoxicate,  Levit.  x,  9.  The  same  absti- 
nence may  be  observed  among  idolaters,  espe- 
cially the  Egyptians  :  and  their  priests  wore 
nothing  but  linen,  and  shoes  made  of  the  plant 
papyrus,  that  gives  name  to  paper^  that  they 


THEIR  FEASTS. 


171 


might  not  have  any  thing  about  them  that  came 
from  dead  beasts,  and  tended  to  corruption. 
The  Israelitish  priests  officiated  barefoot,  but 
with  linen  garments  on.  They  were  forbidden 
to  wear  any  woollen,  and  put  off  those  sacred 
vestments  when  they  came  out  of  their  court  to 
go  into  that  of  the  people,  Ezek.  xliv,  17.  The 
priests  and  all  the  Lévites  led  a  pastoral  life, 
that  was  so  dear  to  the  patriarchs,  when  they 
were  not  upon  duty,  and  had  no  other  substance 
than  their  flocks  :  for  they  were  excluded  from 
any  share  of  land,  to  wean  them  the  more  from 
temporal  cares,  and  give  them  greater  leisure 
to  employ  themselves  in  the  affairs  of  religion. 
Yet  they  were  wealthy,  when  the  people  paid 
them  justly  what  was  ordered  by  the  law  ;  for 
though  there  were  fewer  of  that  tribe^  than  of 
any  else,  they  had  tithe  of  all  fruits  gathered  by 
the  other  twelve,  and  consequently  their  share 
was  the  largest.  They  had  beside,  the  first- 
lings of  all  animals,  without  reckoniqg  their  own 
cattle,  and  the  daily  offerings,  on  which  the 
priests  lived  when  they  served  at  the  altar. 

I  do  not  pertceive  that  they  were  excluded 
from  any  civil  office  :  they  bore  arms  like  other 
men,  and  the  priests  sounded  the  trumpet  in  the 
army,  and  upon  all  other  occasions,  2  Chron. 
xiii,  12  ;  for  they  made  use  of  silver  trumpets 
to  proclaim  the  feasts  and  call  the  people  to 
I  public  prayers  ;  and  the  name  of  jubilee  is  de- 

*  About  a  30th  of  the  whole.  Nearly  a  27th  part, 
^urab.  i,  32  ;  iii,  43,  and  a  32d  in  1  Sam.  xxiv,  9; 
;1  Chron.  xxiii,  3.— E.  F. 


172        MANJSERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


rived  from  a  ram's  horn,  which  was  soundc;d  to 
give  notice  of  its  opening.*  The  ancient  monks 
of  Egypt  observed  the  custom  of  blowing  a 
trumpet  at  the  hours  of  prayer  ;  for  the  use  of 
bells  is  more  modern. 

The  feasts  of  the  Israelites  were  the  Sab- 
bath ;  the  first  day  of  each  month,  called  in  our 
translation  calends  or  neiv  moon  ;  the  three  great 
feasts  of  the  passover,  pentecost,  and  taber- 
nacles, instituted  in  memory  of  the  three  greatest 
blessings  they  received  from  God,  the  coming 
out  of  Egypt,  the  promulgation  of  the  law,  and 
their  settlement  in  the  promised  land  after  their 
journeying  in  the  wilderness,  where  they  had 
so  long  lodged  under  tents,  Levit.  xxiii.  These 
great  solemnities  lasted  seven  days,  probably 
in  memory  of  the  week  of  the  creation. 

Their  year  consisted  of  twelve  months,  each 
of  thirty  days,|  very  little  different  from  ours. 

*  Num.  X  ;  Joseph.  Ant.  iii,  12;  Lev.  xxv,  9.  Jubi- 
lee in  Hebrew  ^"2^  yobel,  some  say  from  yabal,  to 
bring  or  carry  along;  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  ever 
signifies  a  ravVs  horn,  though  translated  so  in  a  fevv 
places  of  our  English  version,  but  none  of  the  ancient 
versions  acknowledge  this  sense  of  the  word  except  the 
Chaldee.  The  word  is  of  uncertain  etymology  ;  Jose- 
phus  says  it  signifies  liberty.  tlevOepiav  it  arjiuaivu  rowofta. 
Ant.  lib.  3,  c.  10,  p.  96,  edit,  colon.  1691.  What  autho- 
rity he  had  for  this  interpretation  of  the  word  I  know 
not;  but  it  is  full  as  likely  as  the  rabbinical  definition 
rain's  horn,  which  is  now  commonly  imposed  on  it. 
Calmet  derives  it  from  ^i^in  hobeel,  to  cause  to  hrin^ 
back  or  recall,  because  estates,  &c,  which  had  been  alien- 
ated, were  then  brought  back  to  their  primitive  ownera 
This  appears  to  be  the  true  derivation  of  the  word. 

t  In  Gen.  vii,  1 1 ,  compared  with  viii,  3, 4,  we  sec  onei 
hundred  and  fifty  clays  are  equal  to  five  months. 


THEIR  FEASTS. 


173 


Thus  we  find  it  regulated  from  Noah's  time,  as 
appears  by  the  date  of  the  deluge  ;  but  it  is 
thoiaght  it  began  then  at  the  autumnal  equinox. 
Moses  was  ordered  to  begin  it  in  spring,  in 
the  month  Abib,  which  was  that  of  the  pass- 
over,  Exod.  xiii,  4  ;  and  it  is  with  respect  to 
the  first  month  that  the  others  are  reckoned, 
which  are  only  named  from  their  number.  They 
agree  very  nearly  with  our  Roman  months,  the 
names  of  which  come  from  the  old  year  that 
began  in  the  month  of  March.  Thus,  the 
eigth  month  was  October,  at  least  part  of  it  ; 
the  ninth  happened  in  JYovember,  and  so  on. 
They  computed  their  month  by  the  moon,  at 
least  in  later  times  ;  not  astronomically,  but 
according  to  its  appearance,  from  the  day  that 
they,  whose  business  it  was,  had  declared  the 
new  moon,  which  was  the  day  after  it  appeared. 

The  feasts  of  the  Israelites  were  true  feasts,  j 
that  is  to  say,  times  of  real  joy.  All  the  men  ] 
were  obliged  to  be  at  Jerusalem  at  the  great 
feasts  of  the  passover,  pentecost,  and  taber- 
nacles, and  the  women  were  permitted  to  come 
too.  The  concourse  was  then  very  great  ; 
every  body  dressed  and  adorned  themselves  in 
their  best  clothes.  They  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  all  their  friends  and  relations:  they 
assisted  at  the  prayers  and  sacrifices,  which 
were  always  accompanied  with  music  :  after 
that  followed  the  feasts,  in  which  they  ate  the 
peace  offerings  in  this  magnificent  temple.  The 
law  itself  commanded  them  to  rejoice,  and  join 
sensible  mirth  to  spiritual. 


174      MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

We  must  not  wonder,  therefore,  if  it  was 
agreeable  news  to  hear  that  a  feast  was  nigh, 
and  that  they  were  soon  to  go  to  the  house  of 
the  Lord  ;  that  they  esteemed  those  happy  that 
spent  their  Ufe  there,  Psalm  cxxii,  1  ;  Ixxxiv, 
1,  &c;  that  they  went  thither  in  great  troops, 
singing  and  playing  on  instruments  ;  and  that, 
on  the  contrary,  they  thought  themselves  un- 
happy when  they  could  not  be  there,  which 
David  so  often  laments  in  his  exile,  Psa.  xlii, 
4  ;  xliii,  3,  4. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Their  Fasts  and  Voivs. 

Fasting  days  were  quite  the  reverse  of  fes- 
tivals. Upon  those  they  did  all  that  I  have 
related  in  speaking  of  mourning  :  for  fasting 
and  mourning  with  them  were  the  same  thing. 
It  did  not  consist  therefore  only  in  eating  later^ 
but  being  afflicted  in  all  respects.  They  spent 
the  whole  day  without  eating  or  drinking  till 
night,  Isaiah  Iviii,  5.  Thus  the  Jews  still  fast, 
and  the  Mohammedans,  who  herein  imitate 
both  them  and  the  primitive  Christians.*  They 
observed  a  strict  silence,  put  on  sackcloth  and 
ashes,  and  expressed  every  other  sign  of  afflic- 
tion. The  public  fasts  were  proclaimed  by 
sound  of  trumpet,  as  well  as  the  feasts,  1  Kings 

*  See  an  enumeration  of  the  fasts  of  the  Hindoos  and 
Mohammedans,  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

il 


THEIR  FASTS  AND  VOWS.  175 

xxi,  12  ;  Joel  ii,  15,  16,  &c  r  all  the  people  at 
Jerusalem  met  together  in  the  temple,  and  at 
other  places  in  the  public  square  :  they  read 
lessons  out  of  the  law,  and  the  most  venerable 
old  men  exhorted  the  people  to  confess  their 
sins  and  repent  of  them.  They  never  married 
upon  those  days  ;  such  as  were  already  mar- 
ried separated  themselves  from  their  wives. 

The  law  had  appointed  but  one  fast  day,  the 
tenth  of  the  seventh  month,  which  was  the  feast 
of  atonement.  Lev.  xvi,  29,  &c  :  but  from  the 
time  of  the  Prophet  Zechariah  they  reckoned 
three  more  ;  one  in  the  fourth  month,  one  in 
the  fifth,  and  another  in  the  tenth,  Zech.  viii, 
19.  They  had  extraordinary  fasts  ;  some  in 
public  calamities,  as  the  dearth  which  Joel 
speaks  of:  others  upon  particular  misfortunes, 
as  David's  fast  for  the  sickness  of  his  child, 
that  was  the  offspring  of  his  great  crime,  2  Sam. 
xii,  16  :  for  the  death  of  Abner,  2  Sam.  iii,  31, 
and  upon  many  other  occasions  mentioned  in 
the  Psalms,  xxxv,  13,  14;  Ixix,  10,  11.  In 
fine,  they  had  fasts  which  they  imposed  upon 
themselves  out  of  pure  devotion,  or  to  perform 
some  vow  ;  for  they  were  very  strict  in  keeping 
their  vows  and  oaths.  As  to  vows,  the  instance 
of  Jephthah  is  but  too  convincing,  Judg.  xi,  35  : 
and  for  oaths,  Joshua  kept  the  promise  he  made 
to  the  Gibeonites,  Josh,  ix,  19,  though  it  was 
obtained  by  a  manifest  fraud,  because  he  had 
sworn  to  them  by  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Saul 
had  resolved  to  put  Jonathan  to  death  for  trans- 
gressing the  order  he  had  made  with  an  oath, 


176        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

1  Sam.  xiv,  27,  though  Jonathan  offended  only 
through  ignorance  ;  and  we  see  many  more 
examples  of  it.  They  entered  into  such  solemn 
engagements  very  seriously,  and  did  not  allow 
themselves  any  latitude  in  interpreting  them. 
Swearing  by  the  name  of  God  was  an  act  of 
religion,  Psalm  Ixiii,  11;  for  this  oath  distin- 
guished the  Israelites  from  those  that  swore  by 
the  name  of  false  gods  :  this  is  to  be  understood 
of  lawful  and  necessary  oaths,  such  as  are  taken 
in  a  court  of  judicature. 

Their  vows  consisted  usually  in  offering  some 
part  of  their  substance  to  God,  either  for  his 
service  in  sacrifices,  or  to  be  set  apart  by  it- 
self. Thence  came  those  great  treasures  in 
Solomon's  temple,  which  were  made  up  of  the 
offerings  of  David,  Samuel,  Saul,  Abner,  and 
Joab,  1  Chron.  xxvi,  27.  It  was  chiefly  of  the 
booty  taken  from  enemies.  The  Gentiles  made 
such  offerings  in  the  temples  of  their  false  gods 
sometimes  upon  other  occasions  :  we  need  no 
other  example  than  the  temple  of  Delphi,  and 
the  rich  presents  that  Crœsus  sent  to  obtain  fa- 
vourable oracles.  (Herodot.  1.  i,  pp.  21,  22.) 

The  most  considerable  vow  was  that  of  the 
Nazarites,  who  obliged  themselves  for  so  long 
a  time  to  drink  no  wine  nor  strong  drink,  nor  to 
cut  their  hair,  and  to  keep  themselves  carefully 
from  all  legal  impurities,  particularly  from  com- 
ing near  dead  bodies,  Numb,  vi,  1-21.  The 
rule  of  the  Rechabites  seems  to  be  founded 
upon  such  vows.  The  author  of  it  was  Jona- 
jdab  the  son  of  Pechab,  2  Kings  x,  15,  who 


HINDOO  AND  MOHAMMEDAN  FASTS.  177 

lived  in  the  time  of  Jehu  king  of  Israel,  and  the 
Prophet  Elisha.  He  forbade  his  children  to 
drink  wine,  build  houses,  to  plant,  have  lands, 
or  vineyards,  Jerem.  xxxv,  6.  They  abode 
therefore  under  tents,  employing  themselves  in 
all  probability  as  the  Lévites  did,  in  breeding 
•  cattle,  and  exactly  imitating  the  pastoral  life  of 
the  patriarchs  :  they  were  married,  and  invio- 
lably observed  this  rule  in  their  family,  at  least 
one  hundred  and  eighty  years,  for  we  cannot 
tell  what  became  of  them  after  the  captivity. 

A  SUPPLEMENT  TO  CHAPTER  XVIl. 

Concerning  the  Fasts  of  the  Hindoos  and 
JVLohammedans. 

As  the  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans  approach 
nearest  in  their  religious  austerities  to  the  an- 
cient Hebrews,  the  following  concise  view  of 
the  fasts  practised  among  them,  taken  from  the 
best  authorities,  will  not  be  considered  an  un- 
profitable digression  in  this  place. 

There  are  twelve  kinds  of  fasts  among  the 
Hindoos. 

1st.  The  person  neither  eats  nor  drinks  for 
a  day  and  night.  This  fast  is  indispensable,  and 
occurs  twenty-nine  times  in  the  year. 

2d.  The  person  fasts  during  the  day,  and 
eats  at  night. 

3d.  The  person  eats  nothing  but  fruits,  and 
drinks  milk  or  water. 

4th.  He  eats  once  during  the  day  and  night. 

5th.  Eats  one  particular  kind  of  food,  during 
the  day  and  night,  but  as  often  as  he  pleases. 


178        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

6th.  Called  Chanderaym,  which  is  to  eat  one 
mouthful  only  on  the  first  day,  two  on  the  se- 
cond, and  thus  continue  increasing  one  mouthful 
every  day  for  a  month,  and  then  decreasing  one 
mouthful  every  day  till  he  leaves  off  where  he 
began. 

7th.  The  person  neither  eats  nor  drinks  for 
twelve  days.  How  such  a  fast  can  be  support- 
ed I  cannot  tell.  Though  it  is  prescribed  in 
their  law,  it  is  not  likely  that  it  is  ever  observ- 
ed, at  least  rigidly. 

8th.  Lasts  twelve  days  :  the  first  three  days 
he  eats  a  little  once  in  the  day  ;  the  next  three 
he  eats  only  once  in  the  night  ;  the  next  three 
he  eats  nothing  unless  it  be  brought  to  him  ; 
and  during  the  last  three  days  he  neither  eats 
nor  drinks. 

9th.  Lasts  fifteen  days  :  for  three  days  and 
three  nights  he  eats  only  one  handful  at  night  ; 
the  next  three  days  and  nights  he  eats  one  hand- 
ful if  it  be  brought  to  him,  if  not  he  takes  no- 
thing. Then  he  eats  nothing  for  three  days 
and  three  nights.  The  next  three  days  and 
nights  he  takes  only  a  handful  of  warm  water 
each  day.  The  next  three  days  and  nights  he 
takes  only  a  handful  of  warm  milk  each  day. 

10th.  For  three  days  and  nights  he  neither 
eats  nor  drinks  :  he  lights  a  fire  and  sits  at  a 
door  where  there  enters  a  hot  wind,  which  he 
draws  in  with  his  breath. 

11th.  Lasts  fourteen  days:  three  days  and 
three  nights  he  eats  nothing  but  leaves  ;  three 
days  and  three  nights  nothing  but  the  Indian  fig  ; 


MOHAMMEDAN  FASTS. 


179 


three  days  and  three  nights  nothing  but  the  seed 
of  the  Lotus  ;  three  days  and  three  nights  no- 
thing but  peepul  leaves  ;  three  days  and  three 
nights  the  expressed  juice  of  a  particular  kind  of 
grass  called  Doohalu 

12th.  Lasts  a  week  :  1st  day  he  eats  milk  ; 
2d,  milk  curds  ;  3d.  Ghee,  i.  e.  clarified  butter  ; 
4th,  cow's  urine  ;  5th,  cow's  dung  ;  6th,  water  ; 
7th,  nothing:  plays  at  no  game  ;  has  no  con- 
nection with  women  ;  neither  shaves  nor  anoints 
himself,  and  bestows  alms  each  day.  {Jlyeen 
Mhery,  vol.  iii,  p.  247-250.) 

MOHAMMEDAN  FASTS. 

Fasting  is  considered  by  the  JWohammtdans 
as  an  essential  part  of  piety.  Their  orthodox 
divines  term  it  the  gate  of  religion  :  with  them 
it  is  o^two  kinds,  voluntai^y  and  incumbent";  and 
it  is  distinguished  by  the  Mosliman  doctors  into 
three  degrees  :  1st.  Abstinence  from  every  kind 
of  nourishment  or  carnal  indulgence.  2d.  Re- 
straining the  various  members  from  every  thing 
which  might  excite  sinful  or  corrupt  desires. 
3d.  The  abstracting  the  mind  wholly  from  world- 
ly cares,  and  fixing  it  exclusively  upon  God. 
Their  great  annual  fast  is  kept  on  the  month 
Ramzan,  beginning  at  the  first  new  moon,  and 
continuing  until  the  appearance  of  the  next  ; 
during  which  it  is  required  to  abstain  from  every 
kind  of  nourishment,  from  daybreak  till  after 
sunset  of  each  day.  From  this  observance 
none  are  excused  but  the  sick,  the  aged,  and 
children.    But  if  the  sick  recover,  they  are  re« 


Î80        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

quired  to  make  up  for  what  they  have  lost,  by 
fasting  an  equal  number  of  days  after  their 
health  is  perfectly  restored.  This  is  properly 
the  Mohammedan  Lent  Any  breach  of  the 
duty  of  fasting,  especially  in  the  month  Romzan, 
must  be  expiated  by  a  donation  of  alms  to  the 
poor. 

The  JVifl  or  voluntary  fasts  are  those  not  en- 
joined by  the  law,  but  which  a  man  imposes  on 
himself  for  some  particular  reason.  They  are 
often  sufficiently  severe.  All  fasting  is  con- 
sidered in  the  light  of  making  atonement  for  sin. 
The  common  sense  of  all  nations  agreeing  in 
this,  that  sin  requires  an  expiation  :  but  the 
Christian  religion  alone  shows  the  true  one. 
{See  Heclayah.  Prel.  Dis.  p.  56.) 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TAetV  Prophets. 

Another  sort  of  religious  people,  and  much 
more  considerable  (than  the  Rechabites)  were 
the  prophets.  There  was  a  great  number  of 
them  from  SamuePs  time  :  witness  that  com- 
pany which  Saul  met,  who  prophesied  at  the 
sound  of  instruments,  transported  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  1  Sam.  x,  5  ;  and  that  other  company 
which  prophesied  before  Samuel,  and  seem  to 
have  been  his  disciples,  1  Sam.  xix,  20.  But 
it  does  not  appear  that  there  ever  were  so  many, 
as  from  the  days  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  to  the 


THEIR  PROPHETS. 


181 


Babyloaish  captivity.  They  lived  separate  from 
the  world,  distinguished  by  their  habit  and  way 
of  living  ;  they  dwelt  upon  mountains,  as  Elijah 
and  Elisha  did  upon  Carmel  and  Gilgal.  The 
rich  women,  who  lodged  Elisha  when  he  went 
by  Shunem,  had  a  chamber,  as  I  said,  built  and 
furnished  for  him,  2  Kings  iv,  10,  where  he 
hved  so  retired  that  he  did  not  speak  so  much 
as  to  the  person  who  entertained  him,  but  made 
his  servant  Gehazi  speak  to  her  for  him  :  and 
when  she  came  to  entreat  him  to  raise  her  son 
to  life  again,  Gehazi  Avould  not  let  her  touch  the 
prophet's  feet,  2  Kings  iv,  27.  When  Naaman, 
general  of  the  Syrian  armies,  came  to  him  to  be 
cured  of  his  leprosy,  he  sent  him  word  what  to 
do,  without  being  seen  by  him,  2  Kings  v,  10. 

Two  other  of  this  prophet's  miracles  show 
that  his  disciples  lived  in  societies  ;  that  of  the 
herb  pottage  which  he  made  wholesome,  and 
that  of  the  barley  bread  which  he  multiplied,  2 
Kings  iv,  38,  41,  43,  44;  which  shows  also 
the  plainness  of  their  food.  There  were  a  hun- 
dred prophets  that  lived  together  in  this  society, 
and  they  wrought  with  their  hands  ;  for,  finding 
their  lodgings  too  strait,  they  went  themselves 
to  cut  down  wood  to  build  with,  and  were  so 
poor,  that  one  of  them  was  obliged  to  borrow  a 
hatchet,  2  Kings  vi,  5. 

Their  dress  was  sackcloth  or  haircloth,  that 
is  mournings  to  show  they  were  always  in  afflic- 
tion for  the  sins  of  the  people.  Thus  to  describe 
Elijah,  they  said  he  was  a  man  clothed  in  a 
hairy  garment,  and  girt  with  a  girdle  of  leather 


182        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


about  his  loins,  2  Kings  i,  8.  Thus,  when  God 
bids  Isaiah  undress  himself,  he  orders  him  to 
loose  his  sackcloth  from  off  his  loins,  Isaiah  xx^ 
2.  It  appears  that  the  two  great  prophets  men- 
tioned in  the  Revelation  were  both  clothed  in 
sackcloth.  Rev.  xi,  3. 

The  prophets,  at  least  some  of  them,  were 
nevertheless  married  men  ;  and  that  widow 
whose  oil  Elisha  multiplied,  was  a  prophet's 
widow,  2  Kin^s  iv,  1.  It  seems  also  as  if  their 
children  followed  the  same  profession,  for  the 
prophets  are  often  called  sons  of  the  prophets  ; 
which  made  Amos  say,  "  I  was  no  prophet,  nor 
prophet's  son,  but  only  a  herdsman,"  Amos  vii, 
14  ;  to  show  that  he  did  not  prophesy  by  pro- 
fession, but  by  an  extraordinary  call.  For 
though  God  most  frequently  made  use  of  such 
as  led  a  prophetic  life,  to  declare  his  will,  yet  he 
was  under  no  obligation  not  to  make  revelations 
to  any  one  else. 

Yet  commonly  none  were  reckoned  prophets 
but  such  as  led  that  sort  of  life  ;  whence  it 
comes  that  the  writings  of  David,  Solomon, 
and  Daniel,  are  not  put  by  the  Jews  among  the 
prophetic  books,  Ecclus.  xlix,  10,  because  the 
two  first  were  kings,  living  delicately  and  mag- 
nificently ;  and  the  other  a  Persian  governor, 
who  also  lived  at  court,  and  in  the  hurry  of  the 
world  :  but  this  distinction  is  not  attended  to  by 
our  Lord,  who  expressly  calls  Daniel  a  prophet, 
Matt,  xxiv,  15. 

These  holy  men,  after  the  patriarchs,  preserv- 
ed the  purest  tradition  of  the  true  rehglon  :  their 


THEIR  PROPHETS. 


183 


employment  was  meditating  upon  the  law  of 
God,  praying  to  him  often  day  and  night,  both 
for  themselves  and  others,  and  inuring  them- 
selves to  the  practice  of  every  virtue.  They  in- 
structed their  disciples,  explained  to  them  the 
spirit  and  meaning  of  the  law,  and  opened  to 
them  the  sublime  mysteries  relating  to  the  state 
of  the  Church,  either  upon  earth  or  in  heaven, 
after  the  Messiah  should  come,  that  were  hidden 
under  allegories  of  things  sensible  and  seeming- 
ly mean.  They  instructed  the  people  too  who 
came  to  hear  them  upon  Sabbath  and  other  feast 
days.  They  reproved  them  for  their  vices,  and 
exhorted  them  to  repent,  often  foretelling,  from 
God,  what  was  to  happen  to  them,  1  Kings  xxi, 
20.  This  liberty  which  they  took  of  speaking  the 
most  disagreeable  truths,  even  to  kings,  made 
them  hated,  and  cost  many  of  them  their  lives. 

However,  there  were  many  impostors,  who 
counterfeited  the  outward  demeanour  of  true 
prophets  ;  wore  sackcloth  as  they  did  ;  spake 
the  same  language,  pretending  they  were  also 
mspired  by  God,  Zech.  xiii,  4  :  but  they  took 
care  not  to  foretell  any  thing  that  would  be  dis- 
agreeable either  to  the  prince  or  the  people. 
The  false  gods  also  had  their  prophets,  as  the 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  whom  Elijah  caused  to 
be  slain,  1  Kings  xviii,  19  and  40.  Of  the  same 
sort  were  the  soothsayers  among  the  Greeks, 
who  were  called  manteis  iiavrsi^^BiS  Calchas  and 
Tiresias  in  the  times  of  the  heroes  :  such  like- 
wise were  they  that  gave  out  oracles,  or  made 
money  of  them,  and  the  poets,  who  said  they 


Î84 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


also  were  inspired  by  the  gods.  For  they  did 
not  mean  to  have  it  thought  that  they  said  so 
only  in  a  poetical  manner,  but  to  make  it  be- 
lieved that  they  really  were  :  and  in  fact  these 
false  prophets,  either  by  the  operation  of  the 
devil,  or  some  artifice,  became  transported,  and 
spake  in  an  unusual  style,  to  imitate  the  visible 
effects  which  the  Spirit  of  God  caused  in  the 
true  prophets.  Now  those  Israelites  that  were 
not  thoroughly  confirmed  in  their  religion,  lay 
under  great  temptations  to  consult  these  diviners 
and  false  oracles,  and  it  was  a  part  of  idolatry 
which  they  were  very  subject  to  fall  into,  during 
the  whole  period  of  which  we  speak. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Their  Idolatry. 

This  propensity  to  idolatry  appears  to  us  very 
strange  and  absurd  in  the  manners  of  the  Israel- 
ites ;  and  hence  many  have  imagined  that  they 
were  a  brutish  and  unpolished  people.  We  see 
no  idolaters  now  ;  we  only  hear  it  said  that  there 
are  some  in  the  Indies,  and  in  other  remote 
countries. 

But  all  people  that  live  about  us,  Christians* 
Jews,  and  Mohammedans,  preach  one  only  God 

*  On  the  origin  and  progress  of  idolatry,  see  Maimoni- 
des  de  idolatria,  cum  inierpretaiione  et  notis  Dionysii  Vossiû 
4to.  Amst.  1642,  which  contains  a  great  variety  of  curious 
matter. 


THEIR  IDOLATRY. 


185 


Âimîghty.  The  most  ignorant  country  people 
know  this  truth  distinctly  ;  we  conclude,  there- 
fore, that  such  as  believed  in  more  gods  than 
one,  and  adored  pieces  of  wood  and  stone,  ought 
to  be  accounted  the  most  ignorant  of  mankind, 
and  perfect  barbarians.  However,  we  cannot 
call  the  Romans,  Greeks,  Egyptians,  Syrians, 
and  other  people  of  antiquity,  ignorant  and  bar- 
barians, from  whom  all  arts,  human  learning, 
and  poHteness  have  been  handed  down  to  us  : 
neither  can  we  deny  that  idolatry  reigned  among 
them  in  the  most  absolute  manner,  at  the  very 
time  when  in  every  thing  else  they  were  perfect- 
ly ingenious  and  polite.  Let  us  stop  here  then 
a  little,  and  search  into  the  source  of  this  evil. 

The  mind  of  man  is  so  overcast  since  the 
fall,  that  while  he  continues  in  the  state  of  cor- 
rupted nature,  he  has  no  notion  of  spiritual 
things  ;  he  thinks  of  nothing  but  matter  and 
corporeal  subjects,  and  makes  light  of  whatso- 
ever does  not  fall  within  the  compass  of  his 
senses  ;  nor  does  any  thing  aopear  even  sub- 
stantial to  him,  but  what  strikes  the  grossest  of 
them,  the  taste  and  touch  :  we  see  it  too  plainly 
in  children,  and  men  that  are  guided  by  their 
passions  ;  they  make  no  account  of  any  thing 
but  what  they  can  see  and  feel  :  every  thing 
else  they  look  upon  as  castles  in  the  air.  Yet 
these  men  are  brought  up  in  the  true  religion, 
in  the  knowledge  of  God,  in  a  belief  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  and  a  future  state.  What 
sentiments  had  the  ancient  Gentiles,  who  never 
heard  these  things  mentioned,  and  had  only  ob- 
13 


186        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

jects  of  sense  and  matter  laid  before  them  by 
.their  wisest  men?  We  may  read  Homer,  the 
great  divine  and  prophet  of  the  Greeks,  as  long 
as  we  please  ;  we  shall  not  find  there  the  least 
hint  that  can  induce  us  to  imagine  he  had  any 
notion  of  things  spiritual  and  incorporeal. 

Thus  all  their  wisdom  was  employed  in  what 
relates  to  the  body  and  senses.  The  design 
of  their  bodily  exercises,  and  all  that  gymnastic 
regimen  which  they  made  so  much  noise  about, 
was  to  preserve  and  increase  their  health, 
strength,  dexterity,  and  beauty  ;  and  they  car- 
ried that  art  to  the  utmost  perfection.  Paint- 
ing, sculpture,  and  architecture  delight  the  eyes; 
and  they  had  advanced  them  to  such  a  pitch, 
that  their  villas,  cities,  and  whole  country,  were 
full  of  entertaining  objects,  as  we  see  by  the 
descriptions  of  Pausanias.  They  excelled  also 
in  music  ;  and  though  poetry  seems  to  strike 
deeper  than  the  senses,  it  reaches  no  farther  ^ 
than  the  imagination,  which  has  the  same  ob- 
jects, and  produces  the  like  effects.  Their  law^s, 
and  most  ancient  rules  of  morality,  all  relate  to 
the  senses  ;  providing  that  their  lands  should 
be  well  cultivated,  that  each  particular  person 
should  have  enough  to  live  comfortably  upon, 
that  men  should  marry  healthy  and  fruitful 
wives,  that  children  should  be  educated  so  as  to 
have  strong  constitutions,  and  fc^e  fit  for  war  : 
and  that  every  body  should  be  protected  from 
beipg  injured,  either  by  strangers  or  bad  neigh- 
bours. 

They  studied  the  good  of  the  soul  so  little 


THEIR  IDOLATRY. 


187 


that  they  depraved  it  extremely  by  the  too  great 
care  they  took  in  improving  the  body.  It  was 
of  dangerous  consequence  to  expose  statues 
and  pictures,  even  the  most  obscene,  in  every 
part  naked  and  uncovered  f  and  the  danger  was 
still  greater  to  painters  and  sculptors,  who 
copied  from  the  life.  No  matter,  there  was  a 
necessity  for  gratifying  the  lust  of  the  eyes. 
It  is  well  known  at  what  a  degree  of  debauch- 
ery the  Greeks  were  arrived  by  these  fine  cus- 
toms :  they  practised  the  most  abominable 
lewdness,  and  not  only  practised,  but  held  it  in 
esteem.  Their  music  and  poetryJikewise  fo- 
menting the  same  vices,  both  excitM  and  kept 
up  jealousies  and  mortal  hatred  befween  the 
poets,  the  actors,  and  spectators  ;  and  particu- 
lar characters  were  cruelly  slandered  and  pulled 
in  pieces  ;  but  this  never  gave  them  any  con- 
cern, provided  the  spectacles  were  diverting, 
and  the  songs  such  as  entertained  them. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  their  religion  :  in- 
stead of  improving,  it  was  prejudicial  to  their 
morals.  Now  the  rise  of  all  these  evils  was 
man's  forgetting  himself  and  his  spiritual  na- 
ture. All  mankind  had  preserved  a  constant 
tradition  that  there  was  a  nature  more  excellent 
than  the  human,  capable  of  doing  them  good 
or  harm  ;  and  being  acquainted  with  none  but 
corporeal  beings,  they  would  persuade  them- 
selves that  this  nature,  that  is,  the  divinity,  was 
so  too  :  and  consequently  that  there  were  many 
gods,  that  every  part  of  the  creation  might  have 
nome,  and  that  each  nation,  city,  and  family, 


188        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


had  deities  peculiar  to  itself.  They  fancied 
they  were  immortal,  and,  to  make  them  happy, 
attributed  to  them  all  sorts  of  pleasures,  (with- 
out which  they  thought  there  could  be  no  true 
felicity,)  and  even  the  most  shameful  debauch- 
eries :  which  afterward  again  served  to  counte- 
nance their  own  passions  by  the  example  of 
their  gods.  They  were  not  content  with  ima- 
gining them  either  in  heaven  or  upon  earth  : 
they  must  see  them  and  touch  them  :  for  which 
reason  they  honoured  idols  as  much  as  the  gods 
themselves,  conceiving  that  they  were  united 
and  incorporated  with  them  :  and  they  honour- 
ed these  statues  so  much  the  more  for  their 
beauty,  or  antiquity,  or  any  other  singularity  they 
had  to  recommend  them.  Wisdom  xiii,  10. 

Their  worship  was  of  a  piece  with  their  be- 
lief, Wisdom  xiv,  27-29.  It  was  wholly  found- 
ed upon  two  passions,  the  love  of  pleasure,  and 
the  fear  of  coming  to  any  outward  harm.  Their 
sacrifices  were  always  accompanied  with  feasts, 
and  music,  and  dancing.  Comedy  and  tragedy 
had  their  rise  from  their  merry  makings  after 
vintage,  in  honour  of  Bacehus.  {TertulL  de 
Sped.  August.  2.  de  Civ.  Dei.)  The  Olympic 
games,  and  other  trials  of  skill,  so  much  cele- 
brated in  history,  were  instituted  in  honour  of 
their  gods.  In  short,  all  the  Grecian  shows 
were  acts  of  reUgion,  and  it  was  a  piece  of  de- 
votion, in  their  way,  to  assist  at  the  most  scan- 
dalous of  Aristophanes's  comedies.  Thus, 
their  chief  business  in  time  of  peace  was  tak- 
ing care  of  the  sacred  combats  and  theatrical 


THEIR  IDOLATRY. 


189 


shows  ;  and  often,  in  time  of  war,  they  were 
more  attentive  to  these  things,  and  at  greater 
expense  about  them,  than  in  the  war  itself. 
(Demosth.  Philipp.  5.) 

Their  rehgion  then  was  not  a  doctrine  of 
morality,  like  the  true  religion  ;  {August,  de 
vera  Relig,  in  init.  ;)  they  reckoned  him  a  saint 
that  was  neither  murderer,  traitor,  nor  guilty  of 
perjury  ;  who  avoided  the  company  of  those 
that  had  committed  such  crimes,  who  kept  up 
the  rights  of  hospitality,  and  places  of  refuge, 
who  faithfully  performed  his  vows,  and  gave 
liberally  toward  sacrifices  and  public  shows. 
Religion  was  looked  upon  as  a  trade  ;  (Plato 
Eutyphron;)  they  made  offerings  to  the  gods, 
that  they  might  obtain  what  they  desired  in  their 
prayers.  As  to  any  thing  else,  debauchery  did 
not  offend  it  at  all.  Apuleius,  after  all  the  vil- 
lainous actions  with  which  he  fills  his  metamor- 
phosis, concludes  with  a  description  of  his 
devotions,  {Jipul.  I.  i,)  that  is,  how  officious  he 
was  to  get  himself  initiated  into  all  sorts  of  mys- 
teries, and  how  exact  in  observing  all  the  cere- 
monies of  them.  Debauchery  was  so  far  from 
being  condemned  by  religion,  that  it  was  some- 
times enjoined  :  there  was  no  celebrating  the 
Bacchanal  feasts  in  a  proper  manner  without 
getting  drunk,  {Clem.  Alex,  in  protrept,)  and 
there  were  women  that  prostituted  themselves 
in  honour  of  Venus,  particularly  at  Corinth.  It 
is  well  known  what  the  god  of  gardens,  and  the 
mysteries  of  Ceres  and  Cybele  were. 

Thus  they  honoured  the  gods  whom  they 


190        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

thought  kind  and  beneficent.  But  for  the  infer- 
nal deities,  Hecate,  the  Eumenides,  or  Furies^ 
the  Pareae,  or  Destinies,  and  others,  with  the 
stories  of  whom  they  were  terrified,  they  were  to 
be  appeased  with  nocturnal  sacrifices  and  fright- 
ful inhuman  ceremonies.  Some  buried  men 
alive  ;  others  sacrificed  children,  and  sometimes 
their  own,  Wisd.  xiv,  23  :  as  the  worshippers 
of  Moloch  mentioned  with  so  much  détesta* 
tion  in  Scripture,  who  still  kept  up  this  abo- 
minable custom  in  Africa  in  Tertullian's  time. 
{Tertull.  Apol.  c.  9.) 

To  this  fear  and  dread  were  owing  all  the 
rest  of  their  cruel  and  troublesome  supersti- 
tions ;  as  letting  themselves  blood  with  lancets^ 
or  cutting  themselves  with  knives,  as  the  false 
prophets  of  Baal  and  the  priests  of  Cybele  did, 
1  Kings  xviii,  28  ;  as  their  fasting,  and  bath- 
ing in  cold  water,*  and  other  such  things. 
They  thought  thereby  to  avert  particular  evils 
or  public  calamities,  with  which  they  were 
threatened  in  dreams  and  prodigies,  according 
to  the  interpretation  of  their  soothsayers.  These 
were  the  remedies  by  which  they  imagined  they 
could  prevent  sickness,  plagues,  hail,  and  fa- 

*  Jupiter,  ingentes  qui  das  adimisque  dolores, 
Frigida  si  puerum  quartana  reliquerit;  illo 
Mané  die,  quo  tu  indicis  jejunia,  nudus 
In  Tiberi  stabit.— Hor.  lib.  ii,  Sat.  iii,  2S8-292. 
O  Jupiter,  thou  wlio  inflictest  and  removest  great  ca- 
lamities, 

If  this  shivering  ague  shall  leave  my  son, 
He  shall  stand  naked  in  the  Tiber  on  the  morning  of 
thy  fast  day. 


THEIR  IDOLATKr. 


Ï9Î 


mine.  For  upon  such  occasions  mankind  is 
apt  rather  to  do  things  that  are  of  no  use  a:t  all, 
than  to  omit  any  thing  that  may  be  thought  ser- 
viceable. All  their  lustrations  or  expiations  for 
crimes  were  troublesome  superstitions  of  this 
sort  :  they  consisted  in  purifying  the  body  by 
water  or  fire,  and  performing  certain  sacrifices  ; 
but  there  was  no  mention  of  either  repentance 
or  conversion. 

It  will  seem  strange,  perhaps,  that  people  so 
wise  as  the  Grecians  should  be  led  away  by 
such  gross  superstitions,  and  so  easily  suffer 
themselves  to  be  imposed  upon  by  astrologers, 
diviners,  soothsayers,  and  many  other  sorts  of 
conjurers.  But  it  must  be  considered,  that,  till 
Alexander's  time,  and  the  reign  of  the  Macedo- 
nians, they  had  made^  no  great  progress  in  such 
learning  as  might  cure  them  of  superstition. 
They  excelled  in  arts  ;  their  laws  were  wise  : 
in  a  word,  they  had  brought  every  thing  to  per- 
fection that  makes  life  easy  and  agreeable  :  but 
they  took  little  pains  in  the  speculative  sciences, 
geometry,  astronomy,  and  physics.  The  ana- 
tomy of  plants  and  animals,  the  knowledge  of 
minerals  and  meteors,  the  form  of  the  earth,  the 
course  of  the  planets,  and  the  whole  system  of 
the  world,  were  still  mysteries  to  them. 

The  Chaldeans  and  Egyptians,  who  already 
knew  something  of  them,  kept  it  a  great  secret, 
and  never  spake  of  them  but  in  riddles,  with 
which  they  mixed  an  infinite  number  of  super- 
stitions and  fables. 

As  these  sciences  depend  chiefly  upon  expc^ 


192         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


rience,  a  succession  of  ages  always  improves 
them,  and  they  are  at  present  in  the  greatest 
perfection  they  ever  were.  They  are  taught 
openly  to  any  one  that  will  apply  himself  to 
them  ;  and  they  agree  perfectly  with  our  holy 
religion,  which  condemns  all  superstition,  divi- 
nation and  magic  ;  however,  we  find  but  too 
many  that  give  ear  to  astrologers  and  such  im- 
postors, not  only  peasants  and  ignorant  people 
of  the  lowest  sort,  but  ladies  that  value  them- 
selves upon  their  wit,  politeness,  and  know- 
ledge ;  and  men  that,  notwithstanding  they  have 
had  a  good  education,  set  up  for  freethinkers, 
and  cannot  possibly  submit  to  the  dictates  of 
true  religion» 

What  then  must  be  the  case  when  all  this  non- 
sense made  a  part  of  religion  ;  when  conjurers 
were  taken  for  men  really  inspired  ;  when  astro- 
logy, pyromancy,  necromancy,  and  such  knave- 
ries, were  esteemed  Divine  knowledge  ?  How 
was  it  possible  to  resist  the  authority  of  the 
priests,  who  gravely  recounted  an  infinite  series 
of  proofs  in  confirmation  of  their  doctrine,  and 
were  implicitly  obeyed  by  whole  nations  ?  They 
could  not  help  believing  them,  when  they  did 
not  know  how  to  account  for  these  things  in  a 
philosophical  manner  ;  and  if  they  had  known, 
they  must  have  been  very  bold  to  have  contra- 
dicted them.* 

*  The  intelligent  Abbe  had  no  doubt  the  case  of  Gali- 
leo in  view  when  he  wrote  the  above.  This  great  phi- 
losopher, for  asserting  the  true  system  of  the  world,  was 
iwice  imprisoned  by  tlie  holy  infallible  inquisition,  in 


THEIR  IDOLATRY. 


193 


A  proneness  to  idolatry  was  not  therefore  pe- 
culiar to  the  Israehtes.  It  was  a  general  evil  ; 
and  the  hardness  of  heart  with  which  the  Scrip- 
ture so  often  reproaches  them,  is  not  for  their 
being  more  attached  to  earthly  things  than  other 
people,  but  for  being  so  much  as  they  were^  af- 
ter having  received  such  particular  favours  from 
the  hand  of  God,  and  seen  the  great  wonders 
that  he  had  wrought  for  them.  It  is  true  much 
resolution  was  necessary  to  resist  the  influence 
of  the  bad  example  of  all  other  nations.  When 
an  Israehte  was  out  of  his  own  country,  and 
among  infidels,  they  reproached  him  with  hav- 
ing no  religion  at  all,  because  they  did  not  see 
him  offer  any  sacrifice,  or  worship  idols  ;  and 
when  he  told  them  of  his  God,  the  creator  of 
heaven  and  earth,  they  laughed  at  him,  and 
asked  where  he  was.  These  taunts  were  hard 
to  bear  :  David  himself  says,  that  when  he  was 
an  exile  he  fed  himself  day  and  night  with  his 
tears,"  because  they  daily  asked  him  where  his 
God  was.  Psalm  xliii,  3.  Weak  minds  were 
staggered  with  these  attacks,  and  often  gave 
way  to  them. 

The  propensity  that  all  mankind  has  to  plea- 
sure heightened  the  temptation  :  as  the  heathen 
feasts  were  very  frequent  and  magnificent,  cu- 

1612  and  1632  ;  obliged  to  renounce  his  heretical  opin- 
ions, and  not  to  defend  them  by  word  or  writing;  was 
condemned  to  imprisonment  during  pleasure,  and  to 
repeat  the  seven  penitential  psalms  once  a  week  ;  and 
his  books  being  condemned  also,  were  publicly  burnt  at 
Rome!  The  doctrine,  for  which  he  was  persecuted, 
now  believed  by  the  pope  and  all  his  conclave  Î 


194        3IANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES^ 

riosity  easily  prevailed  upon  young  people^ 
especially  women,  to  go  and  see  the  pomp  of 
their  processions,  the  manner  of  dressing  out 
the  victims,  the  dancing,  the  choirs  of  music, 
and  ornaments  of  their  temples.  Some  officious 
body  engaged  them  to  take  a  place  at  the  feast, 
and  eat  the  meat  that  was  offered  to  idols,  or 
come  and  lodge  at  his  house.  They  made  ac- 
quaintance and  carried  on  love  intrigues,  which 
generally  ended  either  in  downright  debauchery, 
or  marrying  contrary  to  the  law.  Thus  did 
idolatry  insinuate  itself  by  the  most  common 
allurements  of  women  and  good  cheer.  In  the 
time  of  Moses,  the  Israelites  were  engaged  in 
the  infamous  mysteries  of  Baal  Peor  by  the 
Midianitish  women,  Num.  xxv,  1-3,  who  were 
the  strange  women  that  perverted  Solomon. 

Beside,  the  law  of  God  might  appear  too 
severe  to  them.  They  were  not  allowed  to 
sacrifice  in  any  place  but  one,  by  the  hands  too 
of  such  priests  only  as  were  descended  from 
Aaron,  and  according  to  some  very  strict  rules. 
They  had  but  three  great  feasts  in  the  whole 
year,  the  passover,  pentecost,  and  feast  of  taber- 
nacles :  a  very  few  for  people  that  lived  in 
plenty,  and  in  a  climate  that  inclined  them  to 
pleasure  :  as  they  lived  in  the  country,  em- 
ployed in  husbandry,  they  could  not  convenient- 
ly meet  together  but  at  feasts,  and  for  that 
reason  were  obliged  to  borrow  some  of  stran- 
gers, and  invent  others.  Do  not  we  ourselves, 
who  think  we  are  so  spiritual,  and  no  doubt 
ought  to  be  so,  if  we  were  true  Christians,  of- 


THEIR  IDOLATRY. 


195 


ten  prefer  the  possession  of  temporal  things  to 
the  hope  of  eternal  Î  And  do  not  we  endeavour 
to  reconcile  many  diversions  with  the  Gospel, 
which  all  antiquity  has  judged  inconsistent  with 
it,  and  against  which  our  instructors  are  daily 
exclaiming?  It  is  true  we  hold  idolatry  in  de- 
testation, but  it  is  now  no  longer  a  familiar 
sight,  and  has  been  quite  out  of  fashion  above 
a  thousand  years.  We  are  not  then  to  ima- 
gine that  the  Israelites  were  more  stupid  than 
other  people,  because  the  particular  favours  they 
had  received  from  God  could  not  reclaim  them 
from  idolatry.  But  it  must  be  owned  that  the 
wound  of  original  sin  was  very  deep,  when  such 
holy  instructions  and  repeated  miracles  were 
found  insufficient  to  raise  men  above  sensible 
things,*  But  however  impure  the  state  of  the 
Israelites  may  appear,  we  see  a  much  greater 
degree  of  blindness  and  impurity  in  other  na- 
tions, particularly  among  the  Greeks  and 
Egyptians  ;  who  were  in  other  respects  the 
most  enlightened. 

*  And  here  we  may  see  the  absolute  necessity  of  that 
Holy  Spirit  which  the  Gospel  has  promised,  to  purify 
the  heart  from  all  its  defilements,  to  bring  life  and  im- 
mortality to  light,  and  to  give  us  correct  notions  of  that 
infinitely  pure  and  holy  Being,  who  is  to  be  worshipped 
in  spirit  and  in  truth. 


196        MAN iS Elis  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Their  political  State^  Liberty^  and  domestic 
Power. 

After  religion  we  must  say  something  of 
the  political  state  of  the  Israelites.  They  were 
perfectly  free,  especially  before  they  had  kings. 
They  had  neither  homages,  nor  manors,  nor 
prohibitions  from  hunting  or  fishing  ;  nor  any  of 
those  kinds  of  dependencies  which  are  so  com- 
mon among  us,  that  lords  themselves  are  not 
exempt  from  them.  For  we  see  sovereign 
princes  that  are  vassals,  and  even  officers  under 
other  sovereigns,  as  in  Germany  and  Italy. 
They  enjoyed  therefore  that  liberty  so  highly 
valued  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  it  was 
their  own  fault  that  they  did  not  enjoy  it  for 
ever  ;  it  was  God's  design  they  should,  as  ap- 
pears from  his  reproof  delivered  to  them  by 
Samuel,  when  they  asked  for  a  king,  1  Sam.  x, 
18,  &c  :  and  Gideon  seemed  to  be  well  ap- 
prized of  it,  since,  when  they  offered  to  make 
him  king,  and  secure  the  kingdom  to  his  pos- 
terity, he  answered  generously,  "  I  will  not  rule 
over  you,  neither  shall  my  son  rule  over  you  ; 
the  Lord  shall  rule  over  you,"  Judg.  viii,  23. 

Their  government  was  therefore  neither  a 
monarchy,  aristocracy,  nor  democracy,  but  a  ^ 
theocracy,*  as  Josephus  calls  it:  that  is,  God 

*  Though  they  were  guided  by  God's  peculiar  direc- 
tion, yet  the  form  of  their  government  was  at  first  aris- 
uocratical,  which  continued  to  be  the  basis  of  it  ever 


THEIR  POLITICAL  STATE.  197 


himself  governed  them  immediately  by  the  law 
that  he  had  given  them.  As  long  as  they  ob- 
served it  faithfully  they  lived  in  freedom  and 
safety  ;  as  soon  as  they  transgressed  it  to  follow 
their  own  imaginations  they  fell  into  anarchy 
and  confusion  ;  which  the  Scripture  shows, 
when,  to  account  for  the  prodigious  wickedness 
of  the  times,  it  says,  In  those  days  there  was 
no  king  in  Israel,  every  one  did  what  was  right 
in  his  own  eyes,"  Judg.  xxi,  25.    This  confu- 

after.  It  commenced  from  the  death  of  Jacob,  who  di- 
vided them  into  twelve  tribes,  appointing  his  sons,  with 
the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  to  be  rulers  or  princes  over 
them.  Gen.  xlix.  See  also  Exod.  vi,  4;  Josh,  xxii,  14. 
No  one  tribe  had  superiority  over  another;  for  it  is 
said,  Gen.  xiix,  16,  "Dan  shall  judge  his  people,"  in 
the  same  manner,  "  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel."  And 
hence  it  is,  that,  upon  the  death  of  Joshua,  the  people 
inquire  of  God,  "  who  should  go  up  for  them  against 
the  Canaanites,"  Judg.  i,  1.  From  this  view  we  see 
the  meaning  of  that  important  prophecy,  Gen.  xlix,  10, 
"The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah  till  Shiloh 
come  not  a  sceptre.^  as  most  interpreters  understand  it, 
to  arise  in  Judah's  family  some  ages  after  the  death  of 
Jacob,  which  is  against  the  propriety  of  all  language  ; 
not  a  dominion,  to  be  exercised  by  Judah  over  all  the 
other  tribes,  which  it  never  obtained  ;  but  that  the  go- 
vernment now  settled  in  each  of  the  tribes,  which  would 
depart  fiom  the  rest  long  before  the  coming  of  Shilohy 
should  remain  with  Judah  till  Shiloh  came.  Accord- 
ingly the  Assyrian  captivity  was  ruin  to  the  ten  tribes  ; 
but  the  Babylonish  captivity  was  only  a  seventy  years' 
transportation  of  Judah  into  a  foreign  country,  where 
they  continued  under  heads  and  rulers  of  their  own  ; 
which  privilege  they  enjoyed  till  after  the  death  of 
Christ,  and  in  some  sort,  till  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem.— See  this  proved  at  lar^e  in  the  third  incomparable 
dissertation  of  the  bishop  of  London. — E.  F. 


198        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

sion  divided  and  weakened  them,  and  made 
them  become  a  prey  to  their  enemies  ;  till,  re- 
collecting themselves,  they  returned  to  God, 
and  he  sent  them  some  deliverer.  Thus  they 
lived  under  the  J udges,  relapsing  time  after  time 
into  idolatry  and  disobedience  to  the  law  of 
God,  Judg.  ii,  11,  22,  and  consequently  into 
slavery  and  confusion,  and  as  often  repenting. 
At  last  they  chose  rather  to  have  a  master  over 
them  than  to  continue  in  freedom  by  faithfully 
observing  the  law  of  God. 

Their  liberty  reduced  to  these  just  bounds 
consisted  in  a  power  to  do  every  thing  that  was 
not  forbidden  by  the  law,  without  obligation  to 
do  any  more  than  it  commanded  ;  or  being  sub- 
ject to  the  will  of  any  particular  man  but  the 
fathers  of  families,  who  had  great  power  over 
their  servants  and  children  at  home.  There 
were  some  Hebrews  slaves  to  their  brethren  ; 
and  the  law  mentions  two  cases  that  reduced 
them  to  that  condition  ;  poverty,  which  obliged 
them  to  sell  themselves.  Lev.  xxv,  39  ;  and 
commission  of  theft,  which  they  were  not  able 
to  make  amends  for,  Exod.  xxii,  3.  It  appears 
that  the  second  case  comprehended  debts  like- 
wise, by  the  example  of  the  widow,  whose  oil 
Elisha  multiplied  that  she  might  have  enough 
to  pay  her  creditors,  and  save  her  children  from 
slavery,  2  Kings  iv,  1 .  It  is  true,  these  He- 
brew slaves  might  regain  their  freedom  at  the 
end  of  six  years,  that  is,  in  the  sabbatical  year, 
Exod.  xxi,  2  :  and  if  they  were  then  not  dis- 
posed to  make  use  of  this  privilege,  they  might 


THEIR  POLITICAL  STATE. 


199 


claim  their  liberty,  and  that  of  their  children,  in 
the  jubilee  or  fiftieth  year,  Lev.  xxv,  40.  It 
was  recommended  to  them  to  use  their  brethren 
mildly,  and  rather  to  make  slaves  of  strangers. 
We  see  how  submissive  their  slaves  were  to 
them  by  the  words  of  the  psalmist  :  "  As  the 
eyes  of  servants  look  unto  the  hands  of  their 
masters,  even  so  our  eyes  wait  upon  the  Lord 
our  God,"  Psa.  cxxiii,  2.  From  which  we  may 
collect  that  they  often  gave  orders  by  signs,  and 
that  servants  were  to  watch  their  least  motions. 

The  Israelites  had  a  power  of  life  and  death 
over  their  slaves,  and  this  was  then  common  to 
them  with  all  nations.  For  slavery  proceeded 
from  the  right  they  acquired  by  conquest  in  war, 
{Just,  de  Jure  Fers.  sec.  3,)  when,  instead  of 
killing  their  enemies,  they  chose  rather  to  give 
them  their  lives  that  they  might  have  the  use 
of  them  ;  so  it  was  supposed  the  conqueror  al- 
ways reserved  the  power  of  taking  away  their 
hves,  if  they  committed  any  thing  that  deserved 
it  ;  that  he  acquired  the  same  power  over  their 
children,  because  they  had  never  been  born,  if 
he  had  not  spared  the  father,  and  that  he  trans- 
mitted this  power  when  he  alienated  his  slave. 
This  is  the  foundation  of  the  absolute  power  of 
masters  ;  and  they  seldom  abused  it,  for  their 
interest  obliged  them  to  preserve  their  slaves, 
who  made  part  of  their  riches  :  which  is  the 
reason  of  the  law,  that  he  should  not  be  punish- 
ed who  had  smote  a  servant,  if  he  continued 
alive  a  day  or  two  after.  He  is  his  money, 
Exod.  xxi,  20,  21,  says  the  law,  to  show  that 


200       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

this  loss  was  a  sufficient  punishment  ;  and  one 
may  presume  in  this  case  that  the  master  only 
intended  his  correction.  But  if  the  slave  died 
under  the  strokes,  it  was  to  be  supposed  the 
master  had  a  real  design  to  kill  him  ;  for  which 
the  law  declares  him  punishable  :  in  which  it 
was  more  merciful  than  the  laws  of  other  peo- 
ple, who  did  not  make  that  distinction.  The 
Romans,  for  more  than  five  hundred  years,  had 
a  power  to  put  their  slaves  to  death,  to  impri- 
son their  debtors  upon  default  of  payment,  and 
to  sell  their  own  children  three  times  over  be- 
fore they  were  out  of  their  power  ;  {Instit.  de 
his  qui  snivel  al,  sec.  2.  Instit.  quib,  mod.  jud. 
Part.  sec.  6  ;)  and  all  by  virtue  of  those  wise 
laws  of  the  twelve  tables  which  they  brought 
from  Greece,  at  the  time  when  the  Jews  were 
restored,  after  they  returned  from  captivity, 
that  is,  about  a  thousand  years  after  Moses. 

As  to  the  paternal  power  of  the  Hebrews, 
the  law  gave  them  leave  to  sell  their  daughters, 
Exod.  xxi,  7  ;  but  the  sale  was  a  sort  of  mar- 
riage, as  it  was  with  the  Romans.  {Per  Coemp- 
tionem.)  We  see,  however,  by  a  passage  in 
Isaiah,  that  fathers  sold  their  children  to  their 
creditors,  Isa.  I,  1  ;  and  in  the  time  of  Nehe- 
miah  the  poor  proposed  to  sell  their  children 
for  something  to  live  upon,  and  others  bewailed 
themselves  that  they  had  not  wherewith  to  re- 
deem their  children  that  were  already  in-slavery, 
Nehem.  v,  2,  5.  They  had  the  power  of  life 
and  death  over  their  children,  since  the  wise 
man  says,  "  Chasten  thy  son  while  there  is 


THEIR  POLITICAL  STATE. 


201 


hope,  but  persist  not  in  it  to  cause  him  to  die,''* 
Prov.  xix,  18.  Indeed  they  had  not  so  much 
liberty  as  the  Romans  to  make  use  of  this  se- 
vere privilege  without  the  magistrate's  know- 
ledge. {Liv.  lib.  ii.)  The  law  of  God  only  per- 
mitted the  father  and  mother,  after  they  had 
tried  all  sorts  of  correction  at  home,  to  declare 
to  the  elders  of  the  city  that  their  son  was  stub- 
born and  rebellious,  and  upon  their  complaint 
he  was  condemned  to  death  and  stoned,  Deut. 
xxi,  1 9.  The  same  law  was  practised  at  Athens^ 
{Heliod,  i,)  and  founded  upon  children's  lives 
being  derived  from  their  parents,  and  upon  a 
supposition  that  none  could  be  so  unnatural  as 
to  put  their  children  to  death,  unless  they  had 
committed  some  horrible  crimes.  Now  the 
dread  of  this  power  was  of  great  use  in  keep- 
ing children  in  perfect  subjection. 

We  see  but  too  many  evils  proceed  from 
relaxing  or  rather  taking  away  this  paternal 
authority.  Let  a  son  be  ever  so  young,  as 
soon  as  he  is  married,  or  knows  how  to  live 
without  his  father's  assistance,  he  thinks  he 
owes  him  no  longer  any  thing  but  a  little  re- 
spect. Thence  comes  the  infinite  number  of 
small  families  and  people  that  live  alone,  or  in 
boarding  houses,  where  all  are  equally  masters. 
Such  young,  independent  people,  if  they  are 
rich,  run  into  debauchery  and  ruin  themselves. 
If  they  are  poor,  they  turn  vagabonds  whom 
nobody  cares  to  own,  and  are  capable  of  all 

*  See  the  Hebrew,  and  the  ïnargin  of  our  Bibles. 
14 


202        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

sorts  of  villany.  Beside  the  corruption  of 
manners,  this  independency  may  also  occasion 
great  disorders  in  the  state;  for  it  is  much 
more  difficult  to  rule  a  multitude  of  single,  un- 
tractable  men,  than  a  few  heads  of  families, 
each  of  whom  was  responsible  for  a  great  num- 
ber of  persons,  and  was  commonly  an  old  man 
that  understood  the  laws. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Authority  of  old  Men. 

Not  only  fathers,  but  all  old  men  had  great 
authority  among  the  Israelites,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple of  antiquity.  They  every  where,  in  the 
beginning,  chose  judges  for  private  affairs,  and 
counsellors  for  the  public,  out  of  the  oldest 
men.*  Thence  came  the  name  of  senate  and 
fathers  at  Rome,  and  that  great  respect  for  old 
age  which  they  borrowed  from  the  Lacedemo- 
nians. Nothing  is  more  conformable  to  na- 
ture. Youth  is  only  fit  for  motion  and  action. 
Old  age  is  qualified  to  instruct,  advise,  and 
command.     "  The  glory  of  young  men  is 

*  Though  this  perhaps  may  be  true  of  the  original 
institution  of  the  Jewish  sanhedrim  and  Roman  senate; 
yet  it  is  certain,  in  process  of  time,  neither  assembly 
consisted  of  the  oldest.  Patres  and  seniores^  as  with  us 
aldermen^  came  to  denote  rank  of  dignity,  not  of  age  ;  as 
Selden  observes,  de  SynedriiSy  lib.  i,  c.  14,  p.  1092,  and 
lib.  ii,  c.  9,  sec.  4,  p.  1423,  ed.  fol— .E.  F. 


AUTHORITY  OF  OLD  MEN. 


203 


their  strength,"  says  Solomon,  "  and  the  beauty 
of  old  men  is  their  gray  head,"  Prov.  xx,  29. — 
It  is  not  likely  that  either  study  or  good  parts 
should  make  up  for  want  of  experience  in  a 
young  man  ;  but  an  old  man,  provided  he  have 
good  natural  sense,  is  wise  by  experience 
alone.  All  history  proves  that  the  best  go- 
verned states  were  those  where  old  men  were 
in  authority,  and  that  the  reigns  of  princes  that 
were  too  young  have  been  most  unfortunate  ; 
which  explains  what  the  v/ise  man  says,  "  Wo 
to  thee,  0  land,  when  thy  king  is  a  child," 
Eccles.  X,  16.  And  it  is  this  wo  that  God 
threatens  the  Jews  with,  when  he  tells  them  by 
Isaiah^  that  "  he  will  give  them  children  for 
princes."^  In  reality  youth  has  neither  patience 
nor  foresight,  is  an  enemy  to  all  rule,  and  seeks 
nothing  but  pleasure  and  variety. 

As  soon  as  the  Hebrews  began  to  be  formed 
into  a  people,  they  were  governed  by  old  men. 
When  Moses  returned  into  Egypt  to  promise 
them  that  God  would  set  them  at  liberty,  he 
assembled  the  elders  together,  Exod.  iv,  29, 
and  performed  the  miracles  which  were  the 
proof  of  his  mission  before  them.  All  the 
elders  of  Israel  came  to  the  feast  that  he  made 
for  Jethro  his  father-in-law,  Exod.  xviii,  12. — 
When  God  thought  fit  to  give  council  to  relieve 
him  in  governing  that  great  people,  "  Gather 

*  Isaiah  iii,  4. — Europe  well  knows  how  miserably 
the  affairs  of  a  nation  are  conducted  when  the  helm 
of  tlie  state  is  confided  to  the  hands  of  a  rash  young 
man. 


204        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELlTESi 

unto  me*"  said  he,  "  seventy  men  of  the  elder* 
of  Israel,  whom  thou  knowest  to  be  elders  of 
the  people  and  officers  over  them."  So  that 
they  had  already  authority  before  the  law  was 
given,  and  the  state  had  taken  its  form.*  In 
the  whole  Scripture  afterward,  as  often  as  men- 
tion is  made  of  assemblies  and  public  affairs, 
the  elders  are  always  put  in  the  first  place,  and 
sometimes  named  alone. 

Thence  comes  the  expression  in  the  Psalms, 
exhorting  to  praise  God  in  "  the  congregation 
of  the  people,"  and  in  "  the  seat  of  the  elders," 
Psalm  cvii,  32,  that  is,  the  public  council. — 
These  are  the  two  parts  that  composed  all  the 
ancient  commonwealths;  the  assembly  (which 
the  Greeks  call  ecclesia  {sxxkri(ïia)  and  the 
Latins  concio)  and  the  senate.  The  name  of 
elder  Ilfs^/^uTSp®^  became  afterward  a  title  of 
dignity  ;  and  from  this  Greek  word  is  derived 

*  This  is  a  proof  that  the  power,  which  we  before 
mentioned  to  be  ^WQn  by  Jacob  to  the  heads  of  tribes, 
took  place  irpmediately  upon  his  death.  From  that 
time  all  applications  and  messages  are  not  to  the  peo- 
ple, but  the  elders  of  Israel,  Exod.  iii,  16;  xii,  21.— 
The  command  of  God,  sent  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  the 
children  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  was  delivered  by  Moses  to 
the  elders  of  the  people,  Exod.  xix,  3,  7.  (Bishop  Sher- 
lock's third  Dissertation,  pp.  304,  305.)  Whether  the 
number  of  these  elders  who  made  up  the  sanhedrim  was 
just  seventy  or  seventy-two,  it  is  allowed  it  was  first 
formed  out  of  Jacob's  children,  who  went  into  Egypt, 
and  that  it  always  represented  the  twelve  tribes.  See 
'Maldonat  on  Luc.  xii,  1.  Grot  in  loc.  and  on  Numb, 
xii,  1,  and  Selden,  de  Syn«driis,  lib.  ii,  c.  iv,  8. 


THEIR  ADMINISTRATION  OF  JUSTICE.  205 

the  Latin  name  presbyter  ;  and  from  the  Latin 
word  senior^  elder,  comes  the  name  seigîieWy 
or  lord.*  We  may  judge  of  the  age  acquired 
by  the  Hebrews  before  a  man  was  reckoned 
an  elder,  by  those  being  called  young  men 
whose  advice  Rehoboam  followed,  1  Kings  xii, 
8  ;  for  it  is  said  they  had  been  educated  with 
him  ;  from  which  it  may  be  concluded  they 
were  about  his  age,  who  was  then  forty-one^  2 
Chron.  xii,  13. 


CHAPTER  X:XII. 

Their  administration  of  Justice. 

Justice  was  administered  by  two  sorts  of 
officers,  shophetim  and  shoterim,  established  in 
every  city  by  the  command  which  God  gave  by 
Moses. T  It  is  certain  the  word  shophetim  sig- 
nifies judges  :  as  to  shoterim^  it  is  differently 
translated  by  the  Vulgate  :  J  but  the  Jewish  tra- 
dition explains  it  of  ministers  of  justice,  as 

*  It  is  sometimes  curious  to  remark  the  progress  of 
corruption  in  a  word,  -jrpccSvTepoçy  presbytevj  ancient 
French  prestre,  modern  French  prêtre^  ar^  English 
priest.  So  Kvpiov  oikoç,  Kuriou  oikos,  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  contracted  into  Kwptou,  Kurioik,  Scottish  Kirk,  and 
English  Church. 

t  Deut.  xvi,  18.         ^pp  ant^ti^l  tI3''t03iy 
Judges  and  officers  shalt  thou  make  nnto  thee. 

See  the  note  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

}  Magistri,  masters  ;  prœfecti,  prefects  ;  duces,  leaders 
or  captains;  prœcones,  herMs,  Joshua  iii,  2. 


206       MAXNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

sheriffs,  sergeants,  or  their  guards,  and  other 
officers.  These  posts  were  given  to  the  Lé- 
vites, and  there  were  six  thousand  of  them  in 
David's  time,  1  Chron.  xxiii,  4.  Such  were 
the  judges  that  Jehoshaphat  restored  in  each 
city,  and  to  whom  he  gave  such  good  instruc- 
tions, 2  Chron.  xix,  5, 6,  7  :  the  Scripturea  dds, 
that  he  settled  at  Jerusalem  a  company  of 
Lévites,  2  Chron.  v,  8,  priests,  and  heads  of 
famihes,  to  be  judges  in  great  causes.  Dent, 
xvii,  8.  It  was  the  council  of  seventy  elders, 
erected  in  the  time  of  Moses,  over  which  the 
high  priest  presided,  and  where  all  questions 
were  decided  that  were  too  hard  to  be  deter- 
mined by  the  judges  of  smaller  cities.  The 
tradition  of  the  Jews  is,  that  these  judges  of 
particular  cities  were  twenty-three  in  number; 
that  they  were  all  to  meet  to  judge  in  capi- 
tal cases,  and  that  three  were  sufficient  for 
causes  relating  to  pecuniary  matters,  and  such 
as  were  of  httle  consequence.  {Sanhedr,  c.  i, 
sec.  6,  &c.)  The  chief  judge  was  the  king, 
according  to  the  saying  of  the  people  to  Sa- 
muel, "  Give  us  a  king  to  judge  us,"  1  Sam. 
viii,  5. 

The  place  where  the  judges  kept  their  court 
was  the  *gate  of  the  city  ;  for  as  all  the  Israel- 
ites were  husbandmen,  who  went  out  in  the 
morning  to  their  work,  and  came  not  in  again 
till  night,  the  city  gate  was  the  place  where 
most  people  met.  We  must  not  wonder  that 
they  wrought  in  the  fields,  and  abode  in  the 
cities.    They  were  not  such  as  the  chief  citioa 


THEIR  ADMINISTRATION  OF  JUSTICE.  207 

of  our  provinces,  which  can  hardly  be  main- 
tained by  the  produce  of  twenty  or  thirty 
leagues  round  them.  They  were  only  the 
habitations  of  as  many  labourers  as  were  ne- 
cessary to  cultivate  the  ground  nearest  hand. 
Whence  it  came,  that  the  land  being  full  of 
inhabitants,  their  cities  were  very  numerous. 
The  tribe  of  Judah  only  reckoned  a  hundred 
and  fifteen  to  their  share.  Josh,  xv,  21,  &c, 
when  they  took  possession  of  it,  beside  those 
that  were  built  afterward  ;  and  each  city  had 
villages  dependent  upon  it. 

They  must  certainly  then  be  small,  and  very 
near  one  another,  like  common  towns,  well 
built  and  walled  in  ;  having,  in  other  respects, 
every  thing  that  is  to  be  found  in  the  country. 

The  public  place  for  doing  business  among 
the  Greeks  and  Romans  was  the  market  place^ 
or  exchange,  for  the  same  reason,  because 
they  were  all  merchants.  In  our  ancestors' 
times  the  vassals  of  each  lord  met  in  the  court 
of  his  castle,  and  thence  comes  the  expression, 
the  courts  of  princes.  As  princes  live  more 
retired  in  the  east,  affairs  are  transacted  at  the 
gate  of  the  seragho  ;  and  this  custom  of  mak- 
ing one\s  court  at  the  palace  gate  has  been 
practised  ever  since  the  times  of  the  ancient 
kings  of  Persia,  as  we  see  by  several  pas- 
sages in  the  book  of  Esther,  chap,  ii,  19  ;  iii, 
2,  3. 

The  gate  of  the  city  was  the  place  for  doing 
all  public  and  private  business  ever  since  the 
times  of  the  patriarchs.    Abraham  purchased 


208       MANNERS  OP  THE  ISRAELITES. 

his  burying  place  in  the  presence  of  all  those 
that  entered  into  the  gate  of  the  city  of  He- 
bron, Genesis  xxiii,  10,  18.     When  Hamor 
and  his  son  Sichem,  who  ran  away  with  Dinah, 
purposed  to  make  an  alliance  with  the  Israel- 
ites, it  was  at  the  city  gates  that  they  spake  of 
it  to  the  people.  Gen.  xxxiv,  20.    We  seé  the 
manner  of  these  public  acts,  wil4  all  the  parti- 
culars, in  the  story  of  Ruth,  chap.  iv.  Boaz 
designing  to  marry  her,  was  to  have  another 
person's  right  in  her,  who  was  a  nearer  relation, 
given  up  to  him.    For  this  purpose,  he  sits  at 
the  gate  of  Bethlehem,  and  seeing  this  kinsman 
pass  by,  he  stops  him  :  then  he  takes  ten  of 
the  elders  of  the  city,  and  after  they  were  all 
sat  down  he  explained  his  pretensions  to  them, 
and  got  the  acknowledgment  which  he  desired 
from  his  relation,  with  all  the  formality  pre- 
scribed by  the  law  ;  which  was  to  pull  off  his 
shoe.    He  took  not  only  the  elders,  but  all  the 
people  for  witnesses,  which  shows  a  great 
number  of  spectators  had  got  together  :  nor  is 
it  unlikely  that  curiosity  made  the  people  stop 
as  they  passed  by.    Their  business  was  seldom 
in  great  haste  ;  they  were  all  acquainted  and 
all  related,  so  it  was  natural  for  them  to  be  con- 
cerned about  each  other's  affairs. 

Perhaps  they  took  these  acts  down  in  writ- 
ing :  but  the  Scripture  does  not  take  notice  of 
any,  except  in  Tobit  and  Jeremiah,  a  little 
before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  In  Tobit 
there  is  mention  made  of  a  bond  for  money 
lent,  of  a  marriage  contract,  and  an  instrwmeni 


THEIR  ADMINISTRATION  OF  JUSTICE.  209 

of  covenants  made  upon  the  same  account, 
Tob.  vii,  14.  In  Jeremiah,  there  is  a  contract 
upon  a  purchase,  Jer.  xxxii,  6-25.  The  law 
of  Moses  prescribes  no  writing  except  in  case 
of  divorce,  Deut.  xxiv,  1.  But  if  they  had  not 
madé  use  of  any  writings  in  those  early  times, 
their  contracts  would  have  been  very  safe, 
since  they  were  made  in  so  public  a  manner. 
If  the  kinsman  of  Boaz  should  have  denied 
that  he  had  given  up  his  right,  all  the  inha- 
bitants of  Bethlehem  could  have  convicted  him 
of  a  falsehood.  Some  of  them  were  present  at 
it,  and  others  must  have  heard  it  immediately 
after. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  custom  of  put- 
ting private  contracts  into  writing  was  intro- 
duced among  the  Romans,  as  appears  by  the 
verbal  obligation  which  they  called  stipulation. 
They  were  not  afraid  of  an  action  wanting 
proof,  when  they  had  pronounced  a  certain 
solemn  form  in  the  public  market  place  among 
all  the  people,  and  taken  some  particular  citi- 
zens to  witness  it,  who  were  of  reputable 
condition  and  unblemished  character.  These 
transactions  were  full  as  pubHc  as  those  among 
us  that  are  done  in  private  houses  before  a  pub- 
lic notary,  who  often  knows  neither  party,  or 
before  the  town  clerk  and  two  hack  witnesses. 

We  may  suppose  the  gate  with  the  Hebrews 
was  the  same  thing  as  the  square,  or  market 
place,  with  the  Romans.  The  market  for  pro- 
visions was  held  at  the  city  gate.  Elisha  fore- 
told that  victuals  should  be  sold  cheap  the  day 


210       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

after  in  the  gate  of  Samaria,  2  Kings  vii,  1. 
This  gate  had  a  square,  which  must  have  been 
a  large  one,  because  King  Ahab  assembled 
four  hundred  false  prophets  there.  I  suppose 
it  was  the  same  in  other  cities,  and  that  these 
gates  had  some  building  with  seats  for*  the 
judges  and  elders  ;  for  it  is  said  that  Boaz  went 
up  to  the  gate  and  sat  down  there  :  and  when 
David  heard  that  Absalom  was  dead,  he  went 
up  to  the  chamber  over  the  gate  to  weep  there, 
2  Sam.  xviii,  33.  This  chamber  might  be  the 
place  for  private  deliberations.  Even  in  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem  causes  were  tried  at  one  i 
of  the  gates,  and  the  judges  held  their  assizes 
there,  Jer.  xxvi,  10.  After  all  these  examples, 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  the  Scripture  uses 
the  word  gate  so  often  to  signify  judgment,  or 
the  public  council  of  each  city,  or  the  city  itself, 
or  the  state  ;  and  that  in  the  Gospel  the  gates 
of  hell  signify  the  kingdom,  or  power  of  the 
devil. 

But  as  open  and  fairly  as  we  may  think  the 
Israelites  transacted  their  affairs,  it  must  not  be 
imagined  that  they  had  no  frauds  and  rogueries, 
unjust  prosecutions,  or  false  accusations.  These 
are  evils  inseparable  from  the  corruption  of  hu- 
man nature  ;  and  the  more  spirit  and  vivacity 
men  naturally  have,  the  more  are  they  subject 
to  them  :  but  these  evils  are  more  peculiarly 
the  growth  of  great  cities.  When  David  fled 
from  Jerusalem  upon  Absalom's  rebellion,  he 
represents  "  fury  and  discord  going  about  day 
and  night  within  the  walls  thereof,  mischief  and 


THEIR  ADMINISTRATION  OF  JUSTICE.  211 

sorrow  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  deceit  and  guile 
in  her  streets,"  Psalm  Iv,  10,  &c.  The  pro- 
phets are  full  of  such  reproaches  :  only  one 
may  imagine  these  evils  were  less  common 
than  they  are  now,  because  there  were  fewer 
lawyers  among  them. 

As  temporal  affairs,  as  well  as  spiritual,  were 
governed  by  the  law  of  God,  there  was  no  dis- 
tinction of  tribunals  :  the  same  judges  decided 
cases  of  conscience,  and  determined  civil  or 
criminal  causes.  Thus  they  had  occasion  for 
but  few  different  offices  and  officers,  in  com- 
parison of  what  we  see  in  the  present  day.  For 
we  account  it  an  uncommon  thing  to  be  only  a 
private  man,  and  to  have  no  other  employment 
than  improving  our  estate,  or  governing  our 
family.  Every  body  is  desirous  of  some  public 
post,  to  enjoy  honours,  prerogatives,  and  privi- 
leges :  and  e-mployments  are  considered  as 
trades  which  are  a  livehhood,  or  as  titles  of  dis- 
tinction. But  if  we  were  to  examine  what  pub- 
lic offices  only  are  really  necessary,  and  the 
business  done  in  them,  we  should  find  that  a 
very  fe\\i  persons  would  be  sufficient  to  execute 
them,  and  have  spare  time  enough  beside  for 
their  private  affairs. 

This  was  the  practice  among  all  the  people 
of  antiquity,  and  especially  the  Hebrews.  In 
Joshua's  time  we  find  but  four  sorts  of  pubhe 
officers  ;  zikonim,  senators  or  elders  ;  rashim^ 
chiefs  ;  shophetim,  judges  ;  and  shoterim,  infe- 
rior officers.^    When  the  kingdom  was  more 

*  ZiKONiM,  from  to  grow  old,  were  the  elders  of 
the  people,  somethin'g  like  our  eldermen,  or  aldermen. 


212       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


flourishing,  in  David's  time,  the  following  offi- 
cers are  mentioned  :  six  thousand  Lévites,  offi- 
cers and  judges  ;  the  heads  of  tribes  ;  heads  of 
families,  1  Chron.  xxiii,  4  ;  which  are  rather 
names  of  quality  than  employment  ;  the  heads 
of  twelve  corps,  of  twenty-four  thousand  men 
each  ;  the  heads  of  one  thousand,  and  of  a  hun- 
dred men  ;  the  heads  over  those  that  tenanted 
the  hinges  demesnes,  that  is,  his  lands  and  cattle. 
I  call  those  heads  here  whom  the  Hebrew  calls 
sirim,  and  the  Latin  principes.^  But  I  must 
observe,  once  for  all,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
express  the  titles  of  offices  and  dignities  in  ano- 
ther language.  Thus,  neither  the  Greek  nor 
Latin  versions  give  us  a  just  idea  of  the  Chal- 
dean employments,  taken  notice  of  in  Daniel 
iii,  3  ;  Ezekiel  xxiii,  23,  and  others. 

Beside,  among  David's  officers  they  reckon 
his  eunuchs  or  domestic  servants  ;  for  through- 
out the  Scripture  the  word  eunuch  is  often  taken 
for  what  we  call  a  valet- de-chambre,  or  footman; 
or,  in  general,  for  any  servant  employed  about 
the  king's  person,  without  signifying  any  per- 
sonal imperfection.    Captains  over  fifty  men 

Rashim,  from  ijrXl  head,  or  chief j  probably  mili- 
tary chiefs  or  captains. 

Shophetim,  from  to  discern^  judge,  determine, 

judges  in  civil  matters  ;  hence  the  Carthaginian  sufetes. 

Shoterim,  from  a  side  or  part,  subordinate  ma- 
gistrates who  appear  to  have  been  deputies  to  the  sho- 
phetim.   See  Joshua  xxiv,  1. 

*  Sarim,  from  -^{^  to  direct,  rule,  and  regidate,  proba- 
bly military  officers  over  larger  and  smaller  companies 
of  men  ;  captains  over  thousands,  hundreds,  &c.  See 
1  Chron.  xjifviii,  1. 


THEIR  WARS. 


2Î3 


are  likewise  mentioned  in  other  places  :  but  we 
find  nothing  of  captains  over  tens,  except  in  the 
law.  Most  of  these  posts  are  miUtary  ;  and 
the  rest  are  but  a  trifle,  if  one  considers  the 
multitude  of  people,  and  the  extent  of  David's 
kingdom. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Their  Wars, 

After  the  administration  of  justice,  we  must 
speak  of  war  .  There  was  not  an  Israelite  that 
did  not  carry  arms,  the  priests  and  Lévites 
not  excepted.  Benaiah  the  priest,  son  of  Je- 
hoiada,  was  one  of  ihe  most  renowned  for 
bravery  in  David's  army,  2  Sam.  xxiii,  20  ; 
1  Kings  ii,  35,  and  was  general  of  Solomon's 
troops  in  the  room  of  Joab.  All  were  reckoned 
soldiers  that  were  of  age  for  service,  and  that 
was  at  twenty  years  old  and  upward,  Num.  i, 
3,  22.  They  were  like  the  militia  in  some 
countries,  always  ready  to  assemble  at  the  first 
notice.  The  difference  is,  that  with  us  all  eccle- 
siastics are  forbidden  the  use  of  arms,  and  that 
we  have  moreover  an  infinite  number  of  people 
unfit  for  war  ;  lawyers,  receivers  of  the  king's 
revenues,  citizens,  merchants,  and  tradesmen  : 
whereas,  they  were  all  husbandmen  and  shep- 
herds, inured  from  their  childhood  to  labour  and 
fatigue,  2  Chron.  viii,  9.  Nor  is  it  improbable 
that  they  used  them  to  handle  arms,  at  least 


214       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

from  the  time  of  David  and  Solomon.  Thui^ 
at  Rome,  all  the  citizens  of  such  an  age  were 
obliged  to  serve  a  certain  number  of  campaigns, 
when  they  were  commanded  :  from  whence  it 
comes  that  they  did  not  use  the  expression  of 
levying  troops,  but  called  it  choosing'^  them, 
because  they  had  always  a  great  many  more 
than  they  wanted.!  It  was  no  difficult  thing 
for  the  Israelites  to  support  their  armies  ;  the 
country  was  so  small,  and  the  enemy  so  near, 
that  they  often  came  back  to  lodge  at  home,  or 
had  but  one  or  two  days'  march. 

Their  arms  were  nearly  the  same  with  those 
of  the  G  reeks  and  Romans  :  swords,  bows  and 
arrows,  javelins  and  spears,  that  is  to  say,  half- 
pikes  ;  for  we  must  not  imagine  the  ancients 
had  hand  spears,  such  as  our  ancient  cavahy 
used.  Their  swords  were  broad,  and  hung 
upon  their  thigh,  Psalm  xlv,  3  ;  Cant,  iii,  8. 
They  made  use  of  slings,  as  we  may  see  in  the 
men  of  Gibeah  in  Benjamin,  who  could  have 
slung  to  a  hair's  breadth  ;  and  the  same  Gibe- 
onites  fought  alike  with  both  hands,  Judg.  xx*, 
16.    Saul  commonly  held  a  javelin  in  his  hand, 

*  Habere  delectum  civis  et  Peregrini.  Cic, 
t  And  this  is  what  our  Lord  refers  to  in  the  Gospel, 
^vhen  he  so  often  says,  *'Many  are  called,  but  few  cho- 
sen.'* The  great  mass  of  the  people  was  called  togethei', 
and  a  choice  was  made  of  those  who  were  most  lit  for 
service.  The  rest  returned  to  their  respective  occupa- 
tions, and  those  on  wiiom  the  choice  fell  were  employed 
in  military  daty.  But  both  parties  were -equally  valu- 
able, and  necesrjary  to  the  tafcty  and  welfare  of  the 
state. 


THEIR  WAIIS. 


215 


1  Sam.  xviii,  10,  and  xix,  9.  Homer  represents 
his  heroes,  and  the  Romans,  Quirinus  and  their 
other  gods  in  the  same  manner.  But  they  did 
not  wear  any  arms,  except  upon  duty,  not  so 
much  as  a  sword.  When  David  ordered  his 
men  to  march  against  Nabal,  he  first  bids  them 
"  gird  on  their  swords,"  1  Sam.  xxv,  13,  though 
they  hved  in  a  state  of  continual  alarm.  The 
custom  of  always  wearing  a  sword  by  the  side 
was  peculiar  to  the  Gauls  and  Germans. 

For  defensive  arms  they*  carried  shields, 
bucklers,  helmets,  armour  for  the  back  and 
breast,  and  sometimes  greaves  to  cover  the  legs. 
We  see  an  instance  of  a  complete  suit  of  armour 
in  that  of  Goliah,  which  was  all  brass,  "  1  Sam. 
xvii,  5,  6,  38,  hke  that  of  the  Greeks  in  Homer. 
But  it  looks  as  if  these  arms  were  scarce  among 
the  Israelites  at  that  time,  since  King  Saul 
offered  to  lend  David  his.  They  became  com- 
mon afterward,  and  Uzziah  had  sufficient  to 
furnish  all  his  troops,  which  were  more  than 
Hhree  hundred  thousand  men,  2  Chron.  xxvi, 
13-15.  The  same  king  erected  machines 
upon  the  towers  on  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  to 
throw  great  stones  and  arrows,  and  fortified 
several  cities  as  most  other  kings  did.  Thus 
war  was  carried  on  so  early,  almost  in  the  same 
manner  as  it  was  in  later  times  before  the  in- 
vention of  fire  arms. 

The  Israelites  had  only  infantry  at  first,  and 
that  was  also  the  chief  strength  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans.  Cavalry  is  not  so  necessary*  in  hot 

^  The  neglect  of  cavalry  among  the  Israelites  has  af- 


216         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


countries,  where  they  can  always  travel  dry  shod  : 
neither  can  they  be  of  mwch  use  in  mountains  ; 
but  they  are  of  great  advantage  in  cold  climates 
where  the  roads  are  dirty,  and  to  make  long 
marches  over  plains  that  are  either  barren  or 
thinly  inhabited,  as  in  Poland  and  Tartary. 

But  they  had  cavalry  under  their  kings  ;  and 
the  first  sign  of  Absalom's  revolt  was  raising 
horses  and  chariots  ;  and  yet,  when  he  had  lost 
the  battle,  he  got  upon  a  mule  to  make  his  es- 
cape, 2  Sam.  xviii,  9.  Solomon,  who  could 
bear  any  expense,  sent  for  a  vast  number  of 
horses  out  of  Egypt,  and  kept  forty  thousand 
ofthem,  with  twelve  thousand  chariots;  1  Kings 
iv,  26  ;  2  Chron.  ix,  25.  Their  chariots  of  war 
were,  probably,  like  those  of  the  Greeks,  small, 
with  two  wheels,  that  would  carry  one  or  two 
men  standing  upright  or  leaning  upon  the  fore- 
part.   The  succeeding  kings,  who  could  not 

forded  to  an  excellent  writer  a  strong  internal  proof  of  ^ 
that  people's  being  under  the  immediate  guidance  of  a  | 
supernatural  power.  The  prohibition  is  express,  Deut. 
xvii,  "He"  (that  is,  whoever  shall  be  king  of  Israel) 
"  shall  not  multiply  horses  to  himself,  nor  cause  the  peo- 
ple to  return  to  Egypt."  Accordingly,  they  prospered  or 
Were  defeated  as  they  obeyed  or  transgressed  this  Divine 
command  ;  which,  as  he  observes,  it  is  impossible  to  justify 
by  the  measures  of  human  prudence.  See  Bishop  Sherlock's 
fourth  Dissertât.  Dr.  Warburton,  pursuing  the  same 
argument,  observes,  with  our  author,  that  even  uponpo^ 
litiùal  reasons  the  Jews  might  be  justified  in  the  disuse 
of  cavalry  in  defence  of  their  country,  bui  not  in  conquer- 
ing it  from  a  warlike  people  who  abounded  in  horses. 
Here  at  least  the  exertion  of  an  extraordinary  provi- 
dence was  wonderfully  conspicuous.  Sec  Div.  Leg.  voî. 
ii,  book  iv,  sec,  5. — E.  F* 


THEIR  WARS. 


217 


support  the  great  expense  that  Solomon  did, 
sent  from  time  to  time  for  succours  to  Egypt, 
and  upon  these  occasions  there  is  always  men- 
tion made  of  horses.  The  Jews  must  have 
had  no  cavalry  in  HezekiaVs  time,  by  Rab- 
shakeh's  insolence  in  saying  to  them,  "  Come 
into  my  master's  service,  the  king  of  Assyria, 
and  I  will  deliver  thee  two  thousand  horses,  if 
thou  be  able  on  thy  part  to  set  riders  upon 
them,"  2  Kings  xviii,  23.  ^ 

The  Scripture  informs  us  of  no  particulars 
relating  to  their  military  evolutions,  the  form  of 
their  battalions,  or  general  order  of  battle, 
though  it  often  speaks  of  troops  in  battle  array: 
but  for  the  art  of  encamping  and  marching  in 
good  order,  the  journey  through  the  wilderness 
is  a  noble  example  of  it.  The  number  of  this 
prodigious  army  was  known  by  exact  lists  : 
each  man  was  set  down  in  his  tribe,  each  tribe 
in  its  quarter  under  one  of  the  four  heads,  ac- 
cording to  the  order  of  birthright  among  the 
patriarchs,  and  the  quality  of  their  mothers, 
Num.  i,  2,  &c.  They  marched,  by  sound  of 
trumpet,  always  in  the  same  order  ;  and  always 

*  The  above  is  a  literal  translation  from  the  Vulgate, 
and  differs  considerably  in  the  first  clause  from  that  in 
the  English  version.  The  word  ^i^nn  which  we  trans- 
late give  pledgesy  and  the  Vulgate  transite^  passover,  will 
have  this  latter  meaning  by  the  simple  transposition  of 
the  two  last  letters  ^  and  thus  :  -)3;;nn  5  and  so  St. 
Jerom  must  have  read  it  in  his  Hebrew  copy.  As,  thus 
understood*,  the  words  of  Rabshakeh  convey  a  strong 
solicitation  to  mutiny  and  defection,  it  is  most  likely  that 
this  ii;  thft  true  original  reading. 

15 


218         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


quartered  in  the  same  situation  about  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  covenant,  which  was  the  centre  of 
the  camp.  They  took  all  proper  care  for  keep- 
ing their  quarters  clean,  Num.  v,  2,  &c;  Deut. 
xxiii,  10,  11,  &c,  which  was  veiy  necessary  in 
so  warm  a  country,  and  hard  to  be  done  in  so 
vast  a  multitude.  In  short,  we  see  that  the  way 
of  encamping,  and  every  thing  else  that  we  ad- 
mire with  so  much  reason  in  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  was  taken  from  the  ancient  models  of 
the  eastern  people.  The  Hebrews  set  a  high 
value  upon  their  booty  and  spoils,  as  all  the  ' 
nations  of  antiquity  did  :  they  were  marks  of  i 
honour. 

From  Joshua's  time  to  the  kings  the  com- 
mand of  armies  belonged  to  those  whom  the 
people  chose,  or  God  raised  up  in  an  extraor- . 
dinary  manner,  as  Othniel,  Barak,  and  Gideon  : 
but  none  were  subject  to  them  but  the  country  i 
or  the  people  that  chose  them,  or  to  whom  God  ; 
gave  them  for  deliverers.    The  rest  of  the  peo-|(I 
pie,  abasing  their  liberty,  often  exposed  them-  j 
selves  to  the  insults  of  their  enemies:  which  : 
made  them  ask  for  a  king,  not  only  to  do  them  1 
justice,  but  also  to  conduct  their  armies,  and' 
make  war  for  them,  1  Sam.  viii,  20.    From  ' 
that  time  too^  they  were  in  much  more  safety.  , 
The  king  called  the  people  together  when  he 
judged  it  convenient,  and  always  kept  up  a 
iireat  nuniber  of  forces.    It  is  observed  in  the 
beginning  of  Saul's  reign  that  he  maintained 
three  thousand  men,  1  Sam.  xiii,  2.  David 
had  twelve  bodies  of  four  and  twenty  thousand 


THEIR  KINGS. 


219 


each,  who  served  monthly  by  turns.  Jehosha- 
phat  had  not  a  third  part  of  David's  kingdom, 
and  yet  he  had  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand fighting  men  in  his  service,  without  reckon- 
ing garrisons,  1  Chron.  xxvii,  1,  &c. 


CHAPTER  XX [V. 
Their  Kin  d's, 

The  king  had  the  power  of  life  and  death, 
and  could  put  criminals  to  death  without  the 
formality  of  justice.  David  made  use  of  this 
prerogative  in  the  case  of  him  who  boasted  that 
he  had  killed  Saul,  and  of  those  that  murdered 
Ishbosheth,  2  Sam.  i,  15;  iv,  12.  The  Ro- 
man emperors  possessed  a  similar  power.  The 
kings  of  Israel  levied  tribute  upon  the  Israelites 
themselves,  for  Saul  promises  that  all  the  family 
of  the  man  that  would  fight  Goliah  should  be 
exempted  from  it,  1  Sam.  xvii,  25  ;  and  it  ap- 
pears that  Solomon  had  laid  excessive  taxes 
upon  them  by  the  complaints  made  to  Reho- 
boam,  1  Kings  xii,  14.  The  power  of  kings 
was  in  other  respects  very  much  limited  :  they 
were  obliged  to  keep  the  law  as  well  as  private 
men  ;  they  could  neither  add  to  nor  diminish  it, 
and  there  is  no  instance  of  any  of  them  making 
so  much  as  one  new  law.  Their  way  of  living 
at  home  was  very  plain,  as  we  ins:f  see  by  the 
description  that  Samuel  gave  of  their  manners, 
to  put  the  people  out  of  conceit  with  them, 


220        MANNERS  or  THE  ISRAELITES. 


1  Sam.  viii,  10-18  :  he  allows  them  only  women 
for  household  affairs  ;  yet  they  had  a  great 
attendance  when  they  appeared  in  public. 
Among  the  signs  of  Absalom's  rebelhon,  the 
Scripture  reckons  fifty  men  that  ran  before 
him,  2  Sam.  xv,  1,  and  the  same  is  said  of  his 
brother  Adonijah,  1  Kings  i,  5. 

The  kings  lived  sparingly  as  well  as  private 
people  :  the  difference  was,  they  had  more  land 
and  herds.    When  David's  riches  are  reckoned 
up  indeed,  his  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  are 
put  into  the  account  ;  but  so  are  his  tillage  and 
vineyards,  his  stores  of  wine  and  oil,  his  planta- 
tions of  olive  and  fig  trees,  his  herds  and  kine, 
camels,  asses,  and  sheep,  1  Chron.  xxvii,  25, 
&c.    Thus  Homer  describes  the  riches  of 
Ulysses  ;  he  says  he  had  twelve  great  herds  of 
each  sort  of  cattle  upon  the  continent,  beside 
what  he  had  in  his  island.  {Odyss,  xiv,  v.  100.) 
They  took  out  of  this  great  stock  what  was 
necessary  to  maintain  their  household.  There 
were  in  Solomon's  time  twelve  overseers  dis- 
tributed through  the  land  of  Israel,  who,  each  in 
his  turn,  sent  monthly  provisions  for  the  table, 
1  Kings  iv,  7,  which  for  one  day  were  "  thirty 
measures  of  fine  flour,  and  three-score  measures 
of  meal,  ten  fat  oxen,  and  twenty  out  of  the 
pastures,  and  a  hundred  sheep,  beside  harts  and 
roebucks,  and  fallow  deer,  and  fatted  fowl,"  1 
Kings  iv,  22,  &c,  enough  to  feed  at  least  five 
thousand  people.    As  this  provision  was  the 
product  of  the  country  itself,  there  was  no  need 
to  buy  any  thing,  nor  any  want  of  purveyors, 


THEIR  KINGS. 


221 


treaswrers,  or  comptrollers,  nor  of  that  vast 
number  of  officers  which  eat  up  great  lords  ; 
so  that  gold  and  silver  continued  laid  up,  or 
served  for  its  most  natural  use,  to  be  manufac- 
tured into  plate  and  household  ornaments. 

Hence  came  the  vast  riches  of  David  and 
Solomon,  1  Chron.  xxix.  David  prepared  all 
that  was  necessary  for  building  the  temple,  the 
value  of  which  came  to  a  hundred  and  eight 
thousand  talents  of  gold,  and  a  million  and  ten 
thousand  talents  of  silver,  1  Chron.  xxii,  14 
that  is,  about  Jive  hundred  and  thirty-four  mil- 
plions,  eight  hundred  and  ffty-nine  thousand^ 
*  seven  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds  sterling. 
Beside,  he  caused  great  treasures  to  be  laid  up 
in  his  sepulchre.  Solomon  built  a  great  num- 
ber of  palaces,  fortified  several  cities,  and 
finished  several  public  works.  All  the  plate 
and  furniture  of  his  house  at  Mount  Libanus 
was  of  pure  gold  ;  beside  two  hundred  golden 
targets,  each  of  which  was  worth  about  five 
hundred  and  ninety-six  pounds  ;  or  a  hundred 
and  nineteen  thousand  two  hundred  pounds 
sterling  in  all  ;  and  three  hundred  bucklers, 
worth  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds 
apiece  ;  which  amounts  to  about  eighty-two 
thousand  five  hundred  pounds  sterling.'^ 
His  revenues  too  were  great.  Commerce  alone 

*  In  the  original  only  one  hundred  thousand  talents 
of  gold. 

fSee  the  proper  method  of  calculating  the  Hebrew 
talent,  and  the  value  of  the  shields  so  as  to  bring  them 
into  English  money,  part  iv,  in  fine. 


222        MANNERS  OP  THE  ISRAELITES. 

brought  him  in  every  year  six  hundred  and 
sixty-six  talents  of  gold  ;  which  make  one  mit- 
lion,  nine  hundred  and  seventy  thousand,  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-four  pounds  sterling.  He 
made  the  Israelites  pay  tribute,  and  all  foreign- 
ers that  were  under  his  dominion,  the  Hivites, 
the  Amorites,  and  all  the  other  ancient  inhabit- 
ants of  the  land  of  Israel,  the  Idumeans,  great 
part  of  Arabia,  and  all  Syria  :  for  his  empire 
extended  from  the  borders  of  Egypt  to  Euphra- 
tes ;  and  all  the  countries  that  were  so  rich 
sent  him  every  year  vessels  of  gold  and  silver, 
cloth,  arms,  perfumes,  horses,  and  mules. 
These  reflections  may  serve  to  make  one  under-* 
stand  how  Croesus  came  by  his  riches  in  a  king- 
dom about  the  same  size  as  that  of  Solomon. 
Silver  and  gold  were  not  yet  dispersed  through 
the  world.  There  was  but  little  in  Greece, 
none  in  Italy  and  the  rest  of  Europe,  except . 
Spain,  where  they  had  some  mines. 

Let  us  stand  still  a  little  to  consider  the  pros- 
perity of  Solomon,  for  it  is  an  agreeable  con- 
templation. If  we  were  to  read  all  tiistory 
through,  we  should  not  find  one  example  of  such 
a  perfect  conjunction  of  all  the  good  things  that 
are  to  be  enjoyed  in  this  world  :  a  young  prince 
in  the  flower  of  his  age,  of  a  handsome  person, 
of  great  parts,  learning,  and  accomplishments  ; 
in  such  reputation  for  wisdom  that  all  the  earth 
sought  to  hear  him,  1  Kings  x,  24  ;  and  a 
queen  came  in  person  from  a  great  distance  to 
converse  with  him,  1  Kings  x,  1.  He  was 
master  of  a  large  kingdom,  which  was  in  a 


THEIR  KINGS. 


223 


slate  of  profound  peace,  inhabited  the  finest 
country  in  the  world,  had  the  most  magnificent 
palaces,  and  numerous  attendants  ;  was  loaded 
with  riches,  swimming  in  pleasures,  denying 
himself  nothing,  as  he  owns,  and  employing  all 
his  vast  genius  to  satisfy  his  desires,  Eccles.  ii, 
10.  This  we  should  call  a  happy  man,  accord- 
ing to  our  natural  ideas.  Yet  it  is  certain  he 
was  not  so,  because  he  was  not  contented.  He 
himself  says  that  he  found  pleasure  and  joy 
were  only  illusion,  and  that  all  his  labour 
was  but  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit^  Eccles. 
V,  11. 

By  this  prosperity  of  Solomon  and  his  peo- 
ple God  gave  two  important  lessons  to  mankind 
at  the  same  time.  First,  he  shows  his  faithful- 
ness in  accomplishing  his  promises,  by  giving 
the  Israelites  so  plentifully  of  all  the  good  things 
which  he  had  promised  their  fathers  in  the  pos- 
session of  this  land  ;  that  no  one  hereafter 
might  doubt  of  his  power  to  reward  those  that 
adhere  to  him  and  keep  his  commandments.  Men 
that  applied  themselves  so  entirely  to  earthly 
things,  stood  in  need  of  such  an  earnest,  to 
make  them  believe  they  should  hereafter  enjoy 
an  invisible  happiness,  and  the  recompense  of 
another  hfe.  But  beside,  by  granting  the 
Israelites  the  possession  of  these  earthly  goods, 
and  profusely  heaping  on  them  whatever  might 
contribute  to  the  happiness  of  this  life,  God  has 
given  all  men  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them  in 
a  true  light,  and  conceiving  higher  hopes.  For 
who  under  the  sun  can  pretend  to  be  happy  if 


224        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

Solomon  was  not?  Who  can  doubt  that  what- 
evef  happens  in  this  world  is  vanity  after  he 
has  confessed  it?  Does  not  this  example  show 
us  plainly  that  worldly  goods  are  not  only  vain, 
but  dangerous  ?  not  only  incapable  of  satisfying 
the  heart  of  man,  but  likely  to  corrupt  it? 
What  reason  have  rve  to  flatter  ourselves  that 
we  shall  make  better  use  of  them  than  a  people 
so  dear  to  God,  and  so  well  instructed  in  their 
duty?  and  who  seem  to  have  had  a  better 
right  to  this  sort  of  happiness,  since  it  was  pro- 
posed to  them  as  a  reward.  What  presump- 
tion would  it  be  to  think  ourselves  more  capable 
of  resisting  pleasures  than  the  wise  Solomon  ? 
He  gave  himself  up  so  much  to  the  love  of  wo- 
men that  he  had  a  thousand  of  them,  though  a 
multiplicity  was  absolutely  forbidden  by  the  law 
of  God,  Deut.  xvii,  17;  and  his  complaisance 
to  them  carried  him  even  to  idolatry.  His  sub- 
jects followed  his  bad  example  ;  and  after  his 
reign  the  manners  of  the  Israelites  grew  worse 
and  worse  :  they  had  attained  their  highest 
pitch  of  earthly  fehcity,  and  now  began  to 
decline. 

The  division  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Israel 
and  Judah  still  augmented  the  evil.  The  cor- 
ruption was  much  the  greatest  in  Israel  where 
idolatry  always  prevailed,  which  is  the  fountain 
of  all  sorts  of  wickedness  :  rebellion  and  treason 
were  common  there,  Wisd.  xiv,  27.  In  Judah 
the  crown  never  went  out  of  the  family  of  David  : 
there  were  several  pious*kings  in  it.  The  priests 
and  Lévites,  who  retired  thither,  preserved  the 


THEIR  CAPTIVITY. 


225 


tr^kdition  of  the  true  religion,  and  a  more  pure 
practice  of  the  law. 

In  these  latter  tinjes,  the  law  being  despised, 
they  had  frequent  intercourse  with  strangers, 
chiefly  to  procure  succours  in  war  :  and  this  is 
the  reason  of  their  being  so  frequently  reproach- 
ed by  the  prophets  with  their  want  of  trust  in 
God.  The  strangers,  whose  alliance  they 
courted  most,  were  the  Assyrians  and  Egyp- 
tians, the  two  most  powerful  nations  of  those 
tim".  To  please  them  they  imitated  their 
customs  and  idolatry  :  and  the  ruin  of  the 
Israelites  followed  the  fortune  of  these  nations 
when  Egypt  fell  and  Assyria  got  the  superiority* 


PART  IIL 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Jews — Their  Captivity. 

What  has  already  been  noted  appeared  to 
me  the  most  remarkable  in  the  manners  of  the 
Israelites,  while  they  hved  at  full  liberty  in  their 
own  country,  without  mixing  with  strangers,  or 
being  subject  to  infidels.  Let  us  now  take  a 
view  of  their  last  state,  from  the  Babylonish 
captivity  to  their  entire  dispersion.  Though 
they  were  still  the  same  people,  and  their  man- 
ners the  same  in  the  main,  there  was  however 
a  great  alteration  in  both. 


226         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

First,  they  are  called  only  Jews  in  these 
later  times,  because,  in  reality,  there  was  no 
kingdom  but  that  of  Judah  subsisting.  Samaria 
had  been  destroyed,  and  Salmaneser  had  taken 
the  ten  tribes  captive,  which  bore  the  name  of 
Israel  above  a  hundred  years  before  the  ruin  of  j 
Jerusalem.  And  though  the  kingdom  of  Judah  I 
comprehended  the  two  whole  tribes  of  Benja- 
min and  Levi,  and  many  particular  persons  of 
all  the  rest,  whom  a  rehgious  zeal  had  br j^ght 
thither  after  Jeroboam's  schism  ;  all  was  con- 
founded in  the  name  of  Judea  and  Jews,  and 
so  they  were  usually  called  before  the  captivity, 
2  Kings  xvi,  6. 

As  the  kingdom  manifestly  tended  to  its  ruin 
after  the  death  of  Josiah,  great  numbers  of 
Jews  were  dispersed  on  all  sides,  and  retired 
to  the  Ammonites,  Moabites,  Idumeans,  and 
other  neighbouring  people,  Jer.  xli,  10.  The 
Chaldeans  carried  away  captive  the  most  consi- 
derable of  those  who  dwelt  at  Jerusalem,  when 
it  was  taken,  and  left  none  but  the  poorer  sort 
to  till  the  ground  :  this  remnant  too  went  into 
Egypt  a  little  while  after,  Jer.  xliii,  1-7. 

As  to  those  that  were  carried  to  Babylon, 
they  were  servants  to  the  king  and  his  sons,  as 
the  Scripture  tells  us  :  for  such  was  the  law 
of  war  at  that  time,  2  Chron.  xxxvi,  20.  All 
that  were  taken  in  arm's,  all  the  inhabitants  of 
a  town  carried  by  storm,  or  surrendered  at  dis- 
cretion, and  of  the  adjacent  country  which  de- 
pended upon  it,  were  slaves  to  the  conquerors. 
They  were  either  the  property  of  the  public» 


THEIR  CAPTIVITIES. 


227 


or  that  particular  person  that  had  taken  them, 
according  to  the  laws  concerning  the  acquisi- 
tion or  division  of  spoil  then  subsisting  in  each 
country.  Thus,  at  the  taking  of  Troy,  all  that 
remained  alive  were  made  slaves,  not  excepting 
Queen  Hecuba,  and  the  princesses,  her  daugh- 
ters. 

The  Greek  and  Roman  history  are  full  of 
such  examples;  the  Romans  loaded  those 
kings  with  chains  that  resisted  obstinately  ;  or 
put  them  to  death  after  they  had  made  them 
appear  at  their  triumph.  They  sold  the  com- 
mon people  by  auction,  and  divided  their  lands 
among  their  own  citizens,  whom  they  sent  to 
establish  colonies  there  :  which  was  the  certain 
way  to  secure  their  conquests.  Neither  the 
Jews  nor  Israelites  were  so  hardly  used  by  the 
Assyrians.  Some  had  great  Uberty  allowed  them, 
as  Tobit,  by  King  Enemessar  ;  and  there  were 
some  rich  among  them,  as  Tobit  himself,  his 
kinsman  Raguel,  and  his  friend  Gabael,  Tobit 
i,  14  ;  and  at  Babylon  Joachim,  Susanna's  hus- 
band, Hist,  of  Susanna.  It  appears  likewise 
by  the  story  of  Susanna,  that  the  Jews,  not- 
withstanding their  captivity,  had  the  exercise 
of  their  laws,  and  the  power  to  appoint  judges 
of  life  and  death. 

However,  it  was  impossible  but  this  min- 
gling with  strangers  should  cause  some  change 
in  their  manners,  since  one  of  their  chief  max- 
ims was  to  separate  themselves  from  all  other 
nations.  Many  were  prevailed  upon  to  worship 
idols,  eat  forbidden  food,  and  marry  wives  from 


228  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

among  strangers,  and  all  conformed  to  their 
masters  in  things  indifferent,  one  of  which  was 
their  language.  Thus,  during  the  seventy 
years  that  the  captivity  lasted,  they  forgot  He- 
brew, and  none  but  the  learned  understood  it, 
as  it  is  now  with  the  Latin  among  us.  Their 
vulgar  tongue  was  the  Syriac  or  Chaldee,  such 
as  that  in  which  a  large  portion  of  Daniel  and 
Ezra  are  written,  and  the  Tar  gums  or  para- 
phrases upon  Scripture  that  were  composed 
afterward,  that  the  people  might  understand  it. 
They  changed  their  letters  too,  and  instead  of 
the  old  ones,  which  the  Samaritans  have  pre- 
îserved,  took  the  Chaldean,  which  we  erroneous- 
ly call  the  Hebrew. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  return  of  the  Jeivs,  and  their  state  under 
the  Persians, 

When  Cyrus  gave  them  their  liberty,  with 
leave  to  go  back  into  Judea  and  rebuild  the 
temple,  they  did  not  all  return,  nor  at  one  time. 
There  was  a  great  number  that  stayed  at  Ba- 
bylon, and  in  all  places  where  they  were  set- 
tled :  and  they  that  came  back  were  not  all 
Jews  :  some  few  of  the  ten  tribes  joined  them- 
selves to  them,  and  yet  they  made  but  a  small 
number  altogether.  The  first  that  Zerubbabel 
conducted,  did  not  amount  to  fifty  thousand, 
with  the  servants  that  attended  them     and  one 

*  The  whole  number  was  as  follows  :  the  peoplQ 


AFTER  THEIR  RETURN  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  229 

ma.y  see  their  poverty  by  the  small  number  of 
their  servants  and  cattle.  What  comparison 
is  there  between  fifty  thousand  souls,  and  what 
there  must  have  been  in  the  time  of  Jehosha- 
phat  to  make  up  twelve  hundred  thousand  fight- 
ing men  ?  There  came  beside  with  Ezra  about 
fifteen  hundred,  Ezra  viii,  1-14,  and  we  may 
suppose  there  were  several  other  companies. 

They  did  what  they  could  to  discover  their 
former  inheritances,  and  preserve  each  family's 
share.  Upon  this  account  Ezra  collected  all 
the  genealogies  that  are  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Chronicles,  where  he  chiefly  enlarges  upon  the 
three  tribes  of  Judah,  Levi,  and  Benjamin;  and 
carefully  sets  down  their  habitations.  To  peo- 
ple Jerusalem,  they  received  all  that  would  come 
and  settle  there,  which  confounded,  no  doubt, 
the  order  of  their  shares,  Neh.  xi,  3.  Beside,  it 
was  just,  that  such  as  were  present  should  take 
possession  of  their  lands,  who  had  no  mind 
to  return,  or  perhaps  were  not  in  being.  So, 
in  the  later  times,  Joseph  dwelt  at  Nazareth  in 
Galilee,  though  his  family  was  originally  of 
Bethlehem  :  and  Anna  the  prophetess  lived  at 
Jerusalem.  But  still  they  knew  what  tribe  they 
were  of,  and  carefully  preserved  their  genealo- 
gies, as  we  see  by  Joseph's,  who  was  only  a 
poor  artificer.  They  likewise  carefully  distin- 
guished the  true  Israelites  from  strangers  that 

42,360;  male  and  female  servants,  7337  ;  male  and  fe- 
male smgers,  200;  horses,  736;  im\\e<,  245;  camels, 
430  ;  asses,  6720,  Ezra  ii,  64-67. 


230         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

had  been  admitted  into  their  society,*  whom 
they  called  geiores  in  their  own  tongue,  and 
proselytes  in  Greek.  {African  Apud.  Euseb. 
Hist.  Ecoles,  lib.  i,  c.  7.) 

Thus  one  of  their  first  concerns,  after  their 
restoration,  was  to  separate  themselves  from 
strangers,  and  to  cause  the  prohibitions  of  the 
law,  relating  to  marriages  with  infidels,  to  be 
observed,  Ezra  ix,  1,  &c  :  which  they  extend- 
ed to  nations  not  specified  in  the  law  ;  namely, 
to  the  people  of  Azotus,  who  were  part  of  the 
Phihstines  ;  to  the  Egyptians,  Ammonites,  and 
Moabites.  The  evils  that  the  Jews  were  sensi- 
ble they  had  received  from  these  marriages, 
since  the  bad  example  of  Solomon,  inclined  the 
v/ise  men  to  interpret  the  law  in  this  sense,  and 
extend  it  rather  beyond  the  import  of  the  letter, 
that  they  might  more  effectually  fulfil  the  inten- 
tion of  it.  The  priests  were  most  strict  in 
observing  these  prohibitions:  they  married 
none  but  women  of  their  own  tribe,  and  Jose- 
phus  has  informed  us  of  the  precautions  used 
about  it  even  in  his  time.  {Cont.  App.  1.  i,  c.  7, 

*  Two  sorts  of  men  joined  themselves  to  the  Israel- 
ites when  they  went  out  of  Ee:ypt:  one  sort  were  native 
Egyptians,  called  by  the  Sepruagint  avro'xOoveç,  tJwse 
born  in  the  land;  the  others  were  a  mixed  multitude, 
who  are  termed  by  the  Septuagint  Xeiiapaiç,  Exodus  xii, 
19,  from  "^j  gur,  a  stranger.  These  were  extraneous 
persons  among  the  Egypiiar^s  who  took  the  land  to  till 
at  a  certian  rent  :  such  were  the  Jews  before  they  went 
up  out  of  Egypt.  Both  these  sorts  of  men  the  Scripture 
comprehends  under  the  denomination  of  a  7nixed  imdti- 
tude,  Exod.  xiii,  38.  See  Valesius'x  Mtes  on  Eusebius's 
Hist.  EcclesA'iK  i,c.  7.— E.  F.  k  A.  C. 


AFTER  THEIR  RETURN  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  231 

p.*  978.  Whiston's  edition.)  In  general  the 
Jews  were  never  so  faithful  to  God  ;  and,  after 
they  returned  from  captivity,  we  never  hear 
idolatry  once  mentioned  among  them  :  so  much 
were  they  struck  with  that  severe  punishment, 
and  the  accomplishment  of  the  prophecies  that 
threatened  them  with  it.  Indeed,  apostates 
were  entirely  at  liberty  to  stay  among  the  infidels, 
so  that  there  appeared  none  but  such  as  were 
really  Jews. 

Under  the  first  kings  •f  Persia  they  were 
still  very  weak,  envied  by  the  strangers  their 
neighbours,  especially  the  Samaritans,  exposed 
to  their  insults  and  calumnies,  and  in  danger  of 
having  their  throats  cut  upon  the  least  signifi- 
cation of  the  king's  pleasure  ;  as  we  see  by  the 
cruel  edict  that  Haman  obtained  against  them, 
from  the  eflfects  of  which  tîiey  were  saved  by 
Queen  Esther  iii,  iv,  v.  They  could  not  finish 
the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  till  twenty  years 
after  their  lirst  coming  back,  nor  raise 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  again  under  sixty 
years  more  :  so  they  were  four-score  years 
m  renewing  the  whole.  The  country  must 
have  been  very  poor,  since  Herodotus,  who  lived 
at  that  time,  comprehends  Syria,  Phenicia, 
Palestine,  and  the  isle  of  Cyprus,  under  one 
single  government,  that  paid  Darius  but  three 
hundred  and  fifty  talents  tribute,  (Herod,  lib.  iii, 
p.  226,)  which  was  no  more  than  was  paid  by 
.  one  of  the  least  provinces  ;  whereas  that  of 
Babylon  alone  paid  a  thousand.  This  revenue 
was  doubled  in  the  time  of  the  Romans  for  Pa- 


232         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

lestine  alone  :  it  brought  in  to  Herod  and  his 
sons  seven  hundred  and  sixty  talents,  which,  to 
compute  by  the  smaller  talent,  amount  to  about 
sixty-eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  sterling.  (Joseph.  BelL  Jud.  1.  ii,  c.  6, 
p.  766.) 

By  little  and  little  the  Jews  were  established 
again,  and  during  the  reign  of  the  Persians  they 
lived  under  their  own  laws,  in  the  form  of  a 
commonwealth,  governed  by  the  high  priest,  and 
the  council  of  seventj^-two  elders.  The  country 
was  repeopled,  the  towns  new  built,  and  the 
lands  better  cultivated  than  ever.  Plenty  was 
seen  again,  and  there  was  such  a  profound 
peace  and  tranquillity,  that,  for  nearly  three 
hundred  years,  there  happened  no  commotions, 
nor  any  thing  that  makes  the  common  subject 
of  histories  :  and  thence  proceeds  that  great 
void  that  we  find  between  the  time  of  Nehemiah 
and  the  Maccabees.  The  temple  was  honour- 
ed even  by  strangers,  who  visited  it,  and  brought 
offerings  thither.  {Philo.  leg.)  In  short,  the 
prosperity  of  the  Jews  was  so  great  after  their 
return,  that  the  prophets  in  foretelling  it,  have 
left  us  the  most  magnificent  types  of  the  Mes- 
siah's reign.* 

The  Greeks  began  then  to  be  acquainted 
with  the  Jews  in  Egypt  and  Syria,  whither  they 
often  travelled  ;  and  they  made  great  use  of 
this  correspondence,  if  we  may  believe  the 

*  Several  prophecies  relative  to  this  time  of  peace 
and  pr-osperity  have  been  applied  by  commentators  to 
the  days  of  the  Messiah  exclmively.  This  should  b« 
«arefnlly  avoided. 


AFTER  THEIR  RETURN  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  233 

most  ancient  Christian  authors,  as  Justin  Mar- 
tyr and  Clemens  of  Alexandria  ;  for  they  assure 
us  that  the  Greek  poets,  lawgivers,  and  philoso- 
phers, learnt  the  best  part  of  their  doctrine  from 
the  Jews.  Indeed  Solon  travelled  into  Egypt, 
and  the  laws  that  he  gave  to  the  Athenians 
were  very  hke  those  of  Moses.  Pythagoras 
had  been  long  in  Egypt,  and  went  to  Babylon 
in  the  time  of  Cambyses  :  he  had  therefore 
seen  the  Jews,  and  might  have  conversed  with 
them.  Plato  studied  many  years  in  Egypt,  and 
makes  Socrates  speak  so  many  excellent  things, 
founded  upon  the  principles  taught  by  Moses, 
that  he  may  justly  be  supposed  to  have  known 
something  of  them. 

The  best  things  which  Plato  teaches  in  his 
laws  and  commonwealth,  the  Jews  really  prac- 
tised ;  as  living  by  one's  own  industry,  without 
luxury,  without  ambition,  without  having  it  in 
our  power  to  undo  ourselves  or  grow  too  rich, 
esteeming  justice  the  greatest  of  all  blessing.^, 
and  avoiding  all  novelty  and  change.  In  the 
persons  of  Moses,  David,  and  Solomon,  we 
discover  examples  of  the  wise  man  whom  he 
wished  for  to  govern  a  state  and  make  it  happy, 
which  he  scarcely  hoped  would  ever  come  to 
pass.  He  mentions  certain  traditions  of  vene- 
rable antiquity  in  several  places,  without  sup- 
porting them  with  any  proof,  relating  to  the 
judgment  of  mankind  after  death,  and  the  state 
of  the  other  hfe  which  are  manifestly  doctrines 
of  the  true  religion.  {Plato  de  Repub.  vi,  et 
X,  in  fine.)  If  Plato  and  the  other  Greeks  had 
16 


234       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 


not  learned  these  truths  immediately  from  the 
Jews,  they  had  them  at  least  from  other  people 
of  the  east,  who  being  nearer  the  origin  of  man- 
kind, and  having  writings  more  ancient  than  the 
Greeks,  had  preserved  many  more  traditions 
of  the  first  men,  though  obscured  and  involved 
in  fables. 


CHAPTER  III. 

TTie  State  of  the  Jews  under  the  JMacedonians. 

The  conquests  of  Alexander  made  the  Jews 
much  better  known  to  the  Greeks,  to  whom 
they  became  subject.  Josephus  brings  proofs 
of  it  from  the  testimony  of  Clearchus,  a  disciple 
of  Aristotle,  and  Hecatœus  the  Abderite.  {Jo- 
seph, cont.  App.  i,  22,  23,  ii,  4.)  They  con- 
tinued to  hve  according  to  their  own  laws,  under 
the  protection  of  the  Macedonian  kings,  as  they 
had  done  under  the  Persians  ;  but  as  their 
country  lay  between  Syria  and  Egypt,  they 
sometimes  obeyed  the  king  of  one  of  those 
nations,  and  sometimes  the  king  of  the  other, 
as  they  were  strongest  ;  and  they  were  well  or 
ill  used  by  them  according  to  the  humour  or 
interest  of  their  kings,  or  the  credit  of  their 
enemies.  Alexander  the  Great,  being  convinced 
of  their  affection  and  fidelity,  gave  them  the 
province  of  Samaria,  and  exempted  it  from 
tribute  ;  and  when  he  built  Alexandria,  settled 
some  Jews  in  it,  granting  them  the  same  privi- 


UNDER  THE  MACEDONIANS.  235 


leges  as  the  other  citizens,  till  at  last  they  also 
were  called  Macedonians.  {Joseph.  JinU  xii,  1, 
etcont,  *jipp,  1.  ii,  c.  2.)  Indeed,  the  first  of 
the  Ptolemies,  having  taken  Jerusalem  by  sur- 
prise, carried  great  numbers  of  the  Jews  captives 
into  Egypt,  who  were  spread  as  far  as  Cyrene. 
But  afterward  finding  how  religious  they  were, 
and  faithful  to  their  oaths,  he  put  some  of  them 
into  his  garrisons,  and  treated  them  so  well, 
that  it  drew  many  more  into  that  country.  {Jo- 
seph, Ant.  xii,  2.)  It  is  said  that  his  son  Phila- 
delphus  redeemed  all  the  Jews  that  were  slaves 
in  his  dominions,  and  sent  great  presents  to 
Jerusalem  to  procure  that  translation  which  he 
got  made  of  their  law.* 

They  were  also  favoured  by  several  kings  of 
Syria.  Seleucus  Nicanor  gave  them  the  right 
of  citizens  in  the  cities  which  he  built  in  Asia 
Minor  and  Cœlo-Syria,  and  even  in  Antioch 
his  capital,  with  privileges  that  they  also  enjoy- 
ed under  the  Romans.  {Joseph.  Jlnt.  xii,  3.) 
Antiochus  the  Great  having  received  signal 
services  from  the  Jews,  granted  considerable 
favours  and  immunities  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem  ; 
and  to  secure  Lydia  and  Phrygia,  which  were 
notquite  sound  in  their  allegiance,  he  established 
colonies  of  Jews  there,  giving  them  lands  to 
cultivate  and  build  on.  ^    .  / 

*  See  Aristeus's  Hist,  of  the  SeptuaginL  Notwith- 
standing the  testinfiony  of  Josephus,  Aristeus,  and  seve-  . 
ral  of  the  prinîitive  fathers,  the  history  of  the  Greek 
translation  of  the  Scriptures,  by  the  command  of  Ptolemy 
Philadelphiis,  kin^of  Egypt,  is  now  considered  either  a 
fable^  or  truth  so  disguised  as  to  be  no  longer  perceptible. 


236       MANNERS  OF  THE  isllfELITES, 

The  first  privilege  that  the  Jews- always  asked 
upon  these  occasions  was  liberty  to  exercise 
their  religion  and  observe  their  law.  But  as 
for  the  rest,  they  could  not  avoid  learning  many 
Grecian  customs,  as  they  had  Chaldean  and 
others,  and  particularly  the  Greek  tongue, 
which  was  then  become  common  throughout 
all  the  east,  and  continued  so  as  long  as  the 
Roman  empire  lasted  there.  Thence  it  was 
that  many  took  Greek  names,  as  Aristobulus, 
Philon,  Andreas,  and  Philippus  ;  or  Hebrew 
names  disguised  with  Greek  terminations,  as 
Jason  for  Jesus,  Simon  for  Simeon,  Hierosoly- 
ma  for  Jerusalem. 

It  was  probably  about  this  time  that  the  Jews 
passed  the  seas  and  settled  in  Europe.  For 
they  that  understood  the  Greek  tongue,  and  had 
resided  among  that  people  in  Asia,  Syria,  and 
Egypt,  might  easily  live  in  any  part  of  the  Gre- 
cian  empire,  even  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia, 
according  as  they  found  it  more  convenient  or 
they  enjoyed  greater  liberty.  Thus  St.  Paul 
found  great  numbers  of  them  in  all  the  cities  of 
Greece  when  he  went  to  preach  the  Gospel 
there,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after 
the  time  of  Antiochus  the  Great.  These  Jews 
were  half  Greeks,  whom  the  eastern  Jews 
called  Ilellenists  ;  and  they  gave  the  Gentiles 
the  name  of  Hellenes,  which  properly  signifies 
Greeks  ;  whence  it  comes  that  in  St.  Paul's 
epistles  Greek  and  Gentile  signify  the  same 
thing,  Rom.  i,  16  ;  ii,  10,  &c. 

The  Jews  could  not  be  so  mixed  with  the 


UNDER  THE  MACEDONIANS.  237 

Greeks,  without  the  latter,  who  were  very 
curious  at  that  time,  getting  some  knowledge 
of  their  religion  and  laws,  especially  after  the 
translation  of  the  sacred  books.  Their  wise 
men  and  true  philosophers  held  them  in  great 
esteem,  as  we  may  learn  by  what  Strabo  wrote 
about  them  long  after.  {Strabo,  lib.  xvi.)  All 
admired  the  magnificence  of  their  temple  and 
exact  order  of  their  ceremonies.  Agrippa  him- 
self, son-in-law  of  Augustus,  was  astonished  at 
it.  But  most  of  the  Greeks  at  that  time,  I 
mean  in  the  reign  of  the  Macedonians,  were 
not  capable  of  relishing  the  customs  and  maxims 
of  the  Jews.  They  were  too  grave  for  the 
people  whom  the  Asiatic  luxury  had  made 
effeminate,  and  whose  sole  employment  was  in 
trifles.*  There  were  indeed  a  great  number  of 
philosophers  ;  but  most  of  them  contented  them- 
selves with  only  discoursing  upon  virtue,  nn# 
exercising  themselves  in  disputation.  All  the 
rest  of  the  Greeks  were  possessed  with  curi- 
osity and  a  fondness  for  polite  literature  :  some 
applied  themselves  to  rhetoric,  others  to  poetry 
and  music.  Painters,  sculptors,  and  architects, 
were  in  great  repute.  Others  spent  all  their 
time  in  gymnastic  exercises,  to  form  their  bodies 
and  make  them  good  wrestlers.  Others  studied 
geometry,  astronomy,  and  natural  philosophy. 
There  were  every  where  virtuosi,  connoissei^râ, 
curious  and  idle  people  of  all  sorts. 

The  manners  of  the  Romans  were  at  that 

*  Ut  primum  positis  nugari  Grnecia  bellis 
Gœpit,  &c.  Hor,-l.  ii,  ep.  i,  93. 


238 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 


time  much  more  solid.*  They  applied  them- 
selves to  nothing  but  agriculture,  the  knowledge 
of  the  laws  and  war,  and  wilHngly  left  the  glory 
of  excelling  in  curious  arts  and  sciences  to  the 
Greeks,  that  they  might  have  the  more  time 
to  extend  their  conquests,  and  attend  the  go- 
vernment of  their  subjects,  making  politics,  as 
Virgil  says,|  their  principal  concern.  The 
Jews  were  still  a  great  deal  more  serious,  as 
they  made  morality  and  the  service  of  God 
their  chief  study.  We  have  a  good  example 
of  it  in  the  book  of  Ecclesiasticus,  written  about 
the  same  time,  itet  this  was  the  reason  that 
the  Greeks  looked  upon  them  as  an  ignorant 
people,  seeing  they  would  learn  nothing  but 
their  own  law.  {Joseph,  cont.  Jlpp.  I.  i,  c.  4,  et 
1.  ii,  c.  6.  Orig,  cant.  Cels,  I.  iv.)  They  called 
them  barbarians^  as  they  did^  all  nations  that 
were  not  Greeks,  and  despised  them  more  than 
any  other  strangers,  upon  account  of  their  reli- 
gion, which  appeared  to  them  austere  and  ab- 
surd. J  They  saw  them  refrain  from  debauchery, 
not  out  of  frugality  and  policy,  but  from  a  prin- 
ciple of  conscience  :  this  appeared  to  them  too 
strict,  and  they  were  particularly  offended  at 
their*  Sabbaths,  their  fasts,  and  distinction  of 
meats.  They  accounted  them  enemies  to  all 
mankind.  '  They  live  separate  from  every  body 

-î^  Romae  duke  diu  fuit  et  solenne  reclusâ 

Mane  domo  vigilare,  &c.       Hor.  1.  ii,  ep.  i,  103. 
t  Excudent  alii  spirantia  molliussera,&c.--w5Encirf,  vi, 

f  "Judaeorum  mos  tristis  absurdusque. — Tacit  Hist, 
V,  init; 


UNDER  THE  MACEDONIANS.  239 

else^  says  a  Greek  philosopher,  having  nothing 
common  icith  us^  neither  altar ^  offerings^ prayers^ 
nor  sacrifices.  They  are  at  a  greater  distance 
from  us  than  the  inhabitants  of  Susa^  Bactria, 
and  India,    {Philostr,  vit.  *âpol.  Hb.  v,  c.  11.) 

We  may  add  to  this,  that  the  fear  of  idolatry 
made  the  Jews  reject  sculpture  and  painting, 
(which  arts  the  Greeks  held  in  much  esteem,) 
as  useless,  ridiculous  pieces  of  workmanship, 
and  the  fruits  of  idleness  ;  [Orig,  cont,  Cels,  1. 
iv;)  which  is  the  reason  that  idols  are  so  often 
called  vanity  in  Scripture,  to  show  that  they 
are  vain  things,  that  have  only  a  deceitful  out- 
side, and  serve  to  no  manner  of  good  purpose, 
Isaiah  xliv,  10;  Jer.  x,  15.  They  are  also 
called  an  abomination,  Wisdom  xiii,  13-19, 
because  they  cannot  be  sufficiently  detested, 
when  we  consider  the  stupidity  that  attributes 
the  incommunicable  name  of  God  to  them. 
For  the  same  reason  the  Jews  could  not  hear 
without  horror  the  impious  fables  with  which 
the  Greek  poets  were  filled.  Thus  they  drew 
upon  themselves  the  hatred  of  the  grammarians, 
whose  profession  it  was  to  explain  them  ;  and 
of  the  rhapsodists,  who  made  a  trade  of  singing 
their  heroic  poems  in  public  ;  and  of  the  actors 
of  tragedies  and  comedies,  and  of  all  others, 
whose  livelihood  depended  upon  poetry  and 
false  theology. 

The  Jews  indeed  made  it  a  rule  not  to  laugh 
at  other  nations,  nor  to  say  any  thing  disrespect- 
ful of  their  gods  ;  (Joseph,  cont.  Jipp.  ;)  but  it 
was  scarce  possible  that  some  word  of  contempt 


240         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

should  not  escape  from  them.  Now  how  angry 
must  a  Greek  grammarian  have  been,  if  he  had 
heard  a  Jew  repeat  a  passage  out  of  the  prophets 
against  idols  ;  if  he  had  heard  him  assert  that 
Homer  was  a  false  prophet  and  impostor,  or  ridi- 
cule the  absurdities  that  occur  in  the  genealogies, 
the  amours  and  crimes  of  their  gods?  How  could 
they  bear  any  one's  showing  an  abhorrence  to 
the  scandalous  impurities  of  the  theatre,  and  the 
abominable  ceremonies  of  Bacchus  and  Ceres  : 
in  a  word,  to  hear  him  maintain  that  the  God  of 
the  Jews  was  the  only  true  God,  and  that  they 
only,  of  all  the  people  upon  earth,  were  in  pos- 
session of  the  true  religion  and  morality?  They 
despised  them  the  more  for  not  knowing  how  to 
make  learned  harangues,  or  dispute  in  form  ; 
and  because,  for  a  proof  of  these  great  truths, 
they  chiefly  alleged  facts,  that  is  to  say,  the 
great  miracles  that  God  had  wrought  in  the  sight 
of  their  fathers.  Now  the  common  people 
among  the  Greeks  did  not  make  any  distinction 
between  those  miracles  and  the  prodigies  which 
they  also  related  in  their  fables  ;  and  philoso- 
phers thought  them  impossible,  because  they 
only  reasoned  from  the  laws  of  nature,  which 
they  held  to  be  absolutely  fixed  and  unaltera* 
ble.  (Galen  de  usu  Partium.) 

This  being  the  disposition  of  the  Greeks,  they 
listened  the  more  eagerly  to  the  calumnies  of 
the  Phenicians,  Egyptians,  and  other  enemies 
of  the  Jews.  And  thence  proceeded  those  im- 
pertinent stories  that  Tacitus  tells  us  so  gravely, 
{Hist.  1.  V,  init.)  when  he  is  explaining  the  origin 


UNDER  THE  MACEDONIANS. 


241 


of  the  Jews,  and  has  a  mind  to  act  the  learned 
historian  ;  and  which  are  to  be  met  with  hke- 
wise  in  Justin,  who  had  had  the  same  informa- 
tion. {Justini  Hist.  lib.  xxxvi,  c.  2,  3.)  Strabo 
does  not  seem  to  know  much  more  of  the  mat- 
ter, though  he  treats  it  more  sensibly.  {Lib. 
xvi.) 

But  beside  these  slanders,  which  might  easily 
have  been  overlooked,  the  Greeks  proceeded 
to  violence  and  persecution.  Thus  Ptolemy 
Philopater,  after  he  had  lost  the  battle  of  Raphia, 
discharged  his  wrath  upon  the  Jews  :  and  his 
son  Epiphanes,  being  provoked  at  their  not  let- 
ting him  go  into  the  sanctuary,  would  have  them 
exposed  to  elephants,  as  it  is  related  in  the 
Maccabees.  Under  Seleucus  Philopater,  king 
of  Syria,  Heliodorus  came  to  plunder  the  sacred 
treasure,  and  nothing  but  a  miracle  prevented 
his  doing  it,  2  Mace,  iii,  7,  &c.  At  last,  under 
Antiochus  Epiphanes  began  the  greatest  perse- 
cution they  ever  suffered,  and  which  is  not  in- 
ferior to  any  that  the  Christians  have  endured 
since,  1  Mace,  i,  &c.  Those  who  died  at  that 
time  for  the  law  of  God  have  been  ordinarily 
classed  among  the  martyrs. 

They  are  the  first  we  know  of  who  laid  down 
their  lives  in  that  good  cause.  The  three  com- 
panions of  Daniel,  when  they  were  cast  into  the 
furnace,  Dan.  iii,  21,  and  he  himself,  by  being 
exposed  to  the  lions,  had  all  the  merit  of  martyr- 
dom ;  but  God  wrought  miracles  to  preserve 
them.  Eleazar,  the  seven  brethren,  and  the 
re>st  that  are  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the 


242       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


Maccabees,  2  Mace,  vi,  18,  vii,  really  gave  up 
their  lives  for  the  sake  of  God  and  the  law  of 
their  fathers,  which  is  the  first  example,  that  I 
know,  of  this  kind  of  virtue,  in  the  whole  history 
of  the  world.  We  see  no  infidel,  not  even  one 
of  the  philosophers,  who  chose  to  suffer  death, 
and  the  most  cruel  punishment,  rather  than 
violate  his  religion,  or  the  laws  of  his  country. 

Josephus  boldly  reproaches  the  Gentiles  with 
it  :  JVEany  captives,  says  he,  of  our  nation  have 
suffered  all  sorts  of  torment  and  death  in  the 
theatres,  and  upon  divers  occasions,  rather  than 
speak  the  least  word  against  the  law,  and  the 
other  Scriptures  :  but  where  is  the  Greek  that 
would  not  let  all  the  books  of  his  nation  be  burnt 
rather  than  suffer  any  harm  himself?  [Contra, 
Jlpp,  lib.  1.) 

Indeed,  some  Jews  were  overcome  by  perse- 
cution :  but  then  they  entirely  renounced  their 
religion  and  laws,  and  used  artifice  to  disguise 
their  circumcision  ;  so  that  they  were  no  longer 
accounted  Jews.  And  such  as  continued  faith- 
ful were  so  zealous  for  their  law  and  liberty,  that 
at  last  they  took  up  arms  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  Syrian  kings.  These  princes  openly 
violated  all  the  privileges  that  had  been  granted 
to  the  Jews  by  the  kings  of  Persia,  and  confirm- 
ed by  "Alexander  and  the  other  Macedonian 
kings;  and  seemed  determined  to  abolish  the 
true  rehgion  which  was  still  at  that  time  con- 
ftned  to  a  particular  people  and  country. 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  ASMONEANS. 


243 


CHAPTER  lY. 

The  Reign  of  the  Asmoneans, 

We  are  now  come  to  the  time  of  the  Macca- 
bees, when  the  Jewish  nation  raised  itself  up 
again,  and  shone  with  a  new  lustre.  They 
were  no  longer  a  poor  people,  that  aspired  no 
higher  than  to  live  in  peace,  under  the  conduct 
of  their  high  priest  and  elders  ;  whose  happi- 
ness only  consisted  in  being  at  liberty  to  culti- 
vate their  lands,  and  serve  God  in  their  own 
way.  They  became  a  state  entirely  independ- 
ent, supported  by  good  troops,  strong  garrisons, 
and  alliances,  not  only  with  their  neighbouring 
princes,  but  with  remote  kingdoms,  even  Rome 
itself,  1  Mace,  xiv,  4,  18.  The  kings  of  Egypt 
and  Syria,  who  had  used  them  so  ill,  were  forced 
afterward  to  court  their  friendship.  They  also 
made  conquests  :  John  flyrcanus  took  Sichem 
and  Gerizim,  and  destroyed  the  temple  of  the 
Samaritans  ;  (Joseph.  Jint,  xiii,  17  ;)  so  abso- 
lute was  he  over  all  the  land  of  Israel.  He  ex- 
tended his  dominions  into  Syria,  where  he  con- 
quered several  towns,  after  the  death  of  Antiochus 
Sidetes  ;  and  intoldumea,  which  he  so  entirely 
subdued,  that  he  obliged  the  inhabitants  to  be 
circumcised  and  observe  the  law  of  Moses,  as 
being  incorporated  into  the  nation  of  the  Jews. 
His  son  Aristobulus  added  the  ensigns  of  royal- 
ty to  the  real  power,  taking  the  diadem  and  title 
of  king  :  {Joseph.  Ant.  xiii,  c.  20,  21,  22  :)  and 


244       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

Alexander  Jannœus  made  still  greater  con- 
quests. 

But  this  glory  of  the  Jews  was  of  short  con- 
tinuance :  for,  though  the  weakening  the  king- 
doms of  Egypt  and  Syria  had  served  to  exalt 
them,  the  entire  ruin  of  those  two  kingdoms 
brought  on  theirs  too,  by  the  vast  addition  it 
made  to  the  Roman  power.  Indeed,  the  begin- 
ning of  their  decay  was  occasioned  by  their 
domestic  quarrels,  and  the  continual  misunder- 
standings between  the  two  sons  of  Alexander 
Jannaeus,  Hyrcanus,  and  Aristobulus.  In  short, 
they  had  enjoyed  their  liberty  but  four-score 
years,  since  Simon  had  been  declared  head  of 
the  nation,  after  casting  off  the  Grecian  yoke, 
till  Pompey,  invited  by  Hyrcanus,  took  Jerusa- 
lem, entered  into  the  temple,  and  made  the  Jews 
tributaries. 

After  that  they  were  in  a  miserable  condition 
for  above  twenty  years  :  divided  by  the  parties 
of  the  two  brothers,  and  plundered  by  the  Ro- 
mans, {Joseph.  Ant.  xiv,  8,  12,)  who  took  from 
them,  at  different  times,  above  ten  thousand 
talents,  which  is  about  one  million,  eight  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three  thousand,  three  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  sterling.  After  the  defeat  of 
Brutus  and  Cassius,  the  Parthians,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  Mark  Antony's  weakness,  who  was 
governor  of  the  east,  made  themselves  masters 
of  Syria  and  Palestine,  and  took  Hyrcanus  cap- 
tive. 

During  all  the  time  of  the  Roman  civil  wars, 
and  while  the  Parthians  had  the  better  of  them, 


THE  REIGN  OF  THE  ASMONEANS.  24^ 


Palestine  was  exposed  to  cruel  ravages  by  so 
many  armies  of  different  nations  passing  through 
it,  and  by  the  incursions  of  neighbouring  people, 
particularly  the  Arabians. 

It  is  true,  it  recovered  again  a  little  under 
Herod  :  {Joseph.  Jint,  xv  :)  he  brought  back 
peace  and  plenty  to  it  ;  he  was  powerful,  rich, 
and  lived  in  great  state.  But  it  cannot  be  said 
the  Jews  \\  ere  free  in  his  time.  He  was  not  so 
himself,  and  depended  entirely  upon  the  Roman 
emperors.  He  was  a  foreigner,  by  birth  an 
Idumean,  had  no  religion,  and  only  kept  up  the 
appearance  of  it  to  serve  political  purposes. — 
He  destroyed  the  succession  of  the  high  priests, 
sending  for  one  Hananiel  from  Babylon,  a  des- 
picable man,  though  of  the  sacerdotal  family  ; 
[Joseph,  Ant,  xv,  c.  2  ;)  after  whom  they  had  no 
high  priest  but  such,  and  as  many  as  the  kings 
pleased. 

When  Herod  was  dead  there  was  no  longer 
any  power  in  Judea.  His  sons  only  kept  part 
of  his  kingdom,  and  that  not  long.  Judea  had 
Roman  governors,  depending  upon  the  pro- 
consul of  Syria.  At  last  the  J ews  were  banish- 
ed out  of  it,  and  reduced  to  their  present  con- 
dition. This  therefore  is  the  last  time  that  any 
account  is  to  be  made  of  them  as  a  nation,  from 
their  liberty  under  Simon  and  the  Asmoneans 
till  their  destruction  under  Yespasian.  It  is  a 
period  of  about  two  hundred  years,  taking  in 
most  part  of  the  history  of  the  Maccabees,  and 
all  that  of  the  New  Testament,  during  which 
time  the  manners  of  the  Jews  were  very  differ- 
ent from  what  they  were  before. 


246        MANNERS  OF   THE  ISRAELITES. 


CHAPTER  V. 
Tke  J\Ianners  of  the  Jews  of  later  Times. 

These  later  Jews  were  mingled  with  many 
nations.  There  were  some  of  them  settled  "in 
every  country  under  heaven,"  Acts  ii,  5,  as  the 
Scripture  says.  Many  came  to  dwell  in  Judea, 
or  at  least  made  some  journeys  of  devotion 
thither,  to  sacrifice  in  the  only  temple  where  it 
was  lawful  to  do  so.  Beside,  there  were  always 
from  time  to  time  some  Gentiles  who  were 
made  converts.  Thus  the  Jews  were,  properly 
speaking,  no  longer  a  people  by  themselves, 
using  the  same  language  and  customs,  for  many 
others  began  to  unite  under  the  same  religion. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  Holy  Land  consisted  of 
different  nations,  as  Idumeans,  and  other  Ara- 
bians, Egyptians,  Syrians,  and  Greeks. 

AH  the  Jews  still  looked  upon  themselves  as 
brethren,  and  assisted  each  other  in  whatever 
part  of  the  world  they  were  dispersed.  They 
exercised  hospitality  toward  such  as  travelled; 
and  relieved  the  poor  in  all  provinces,  but  es- 
pecially in  Judea.  As  they  that  were  at  a  dis- 
tance could  not  pay  their  tenths  and  first  fruits 
in  kind,  nor  come  to  the  temple  to  make  their 
offerings  upon  all  festivals,  they  turned  all  these 
dues  into  money,  and  these  contributions  alto- 
gether made  up  a  considerable  sum  ;  {Joseph. 
Jlni.xvVy  12  ;)  which  each  province  sent  annually 
to  Jerusalem  for  the  expense  of  sacrifices  and 


OF  THE  MODERN  JEWS. 


247 


maintaining  the  priests  and  poor.  This  is  the 
Jewish  gold  that  Tully  speaks  of.  {Pro  Flacco.) 

These  collections  continued  many  years  after 
the  destruction  of  the  temple.  {Epiph,  hœr. 
XXX,  n.  4,  7, 1 1 .  )  The  chief  of  the  nation  sent  out 
senators  at  certain  times,  who  commonly  re- 
sided near  him,  and  were  called  apostles,  that  is 
to  say,  envoys.  They  went  through  the  provin- 
ces to  visit  the  synagogues,  and  had  authority 
over  such  as  presided  there,  and  over  the  elders 
and  ministers,,  and  at  the  same  time  carried  back 
the  collections  to  the  patriarch.  But  the  Chris- 
tian emperors  forbad  the  continuance'of  it.  {Lib* 
iv,  Cod.  de  Judœis.)  The  patriarchs  came  to 
this  dignity  by  succession  ;  so  that  they  were 
often  infants.  (Hier,  in  Isaiah  iii,  4.)  But 
before  Jerusalem  was  destroyed,  some  of  the 
heads  of  their  nation  resided  in  every  province, 
who  were  called  in  Greek  etiinarchs,  and  judg- 
ed them  by  their  own  law.  Those  of  Egypt 
are  famous,  among  others. 

In  Judea  the  Jews  were  governed,  as  before 
by  a  council  of  seventy-two  elders,  which  they 
called  sanhedrim,  from  a  Greek  word  corrupt- 
ed and  these  are  the^  elders  of  the  people 
mentioned  in  the  Gospef,  Luke  xxii,  66,  &c. 
In  every  synagogue  there  was  a  head  or  ruler 
of  it,  as  we  see  in  the  New  Testament,  Luke 
viii,  41.  There  were  priests  or  elders,  and  dea- 
cons or  servants,  named  Hazanin,  to  take  care 

*  Epiph.  hœr.  xxx,  n.  1.  pnnnj^  sanhédrin,  from  the 
Greek  Jlweèpiov  ;  from  aw  hogether,  and  i^oa  a  seat^  au 
assernbîy  of  counsellors. 


248       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


of  the  synagogue,  and  present  the  book  to  the 
doctor  who  instructed  them.  There  were  also 
twenty-three  judges  in  each  city,  as  has  been 
said  before.  For  it  is  to  this  tirne  chiefly,  that 
all  which  the  Talmud  says  concerning  the  form 
of  judgments  and  the  execulton  of  justice,  must 
be  referred.  {CocL  Sanhad.  J\laccotIu) 

The  Jews  of  Judea  always  applied  them- 
selves to  tillage,  breeding  of  cattle,  and  all  kinds 
of  husbandry.  There  are  some  medals  still 
remaining,  as  old  as  the  times  of  the  Macca- 
bees, upon  which  are  to  be  seen  ears  of  corn 
and  measures,  (Vales,  in  Euseb,  vii,  10  ;  Palad, 
Vita  Chrysosi,)  to  show  the  fertility  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  honour  in  which  they  held  agricul- 
ture. Thus  the  Apocrypha  describes  to  us  the 
prosperity  of  Simon's  government:  Then  did 
they  till  their  ground  in  peace,  and  the  earth 
gave  her  increase^  and  the  trees  of  the  field  their 
fruit  :  the  ancient  men  sat  all  in  the  streets  con-^ 
suiting  together  for  the  good  of  the  comitry^ 
and  the  young  men  put  on  glorious  and  ivarlihc 
apparel.  He  'provided  victuals  for  the  cities^ 
and  sent  th  e  m  in  all  manner  of  munition,  so  that 
his  honourable  name  loas  renowned  unto  the  end 
of  the  world.  He  made  peace  in  the  land,  and 
Israel  rejoiced  with  great  joy.  For  every  man 
sat  under  his  v  ine  and  his  fig  tree,  and  there  ivas 
none  to  disquiet  them,  1  Mace,  xiv,  8,  &c. — 
And  the  author  of  Ecclesiasticus  has  not  omit- 
ted taking  notice  of  this  duty.  Hate  not  labori- 
ous work,  neither  husbandry,  says  he,  which  th$ 
mMosI  High  has  ordained,  Ecclus.  vii,  15. 


hatred.  Joseph,  the  son  o 
example,  who  got  all  the  tribute  o 
Phenicia  awarded  to  him  under  Ptole 
phanes,  and  acquired  immense  riches  by  i.. 
{Joseph.  Ant.  xii,  4.) 

If  there  were  bankers  and  tax  gatherers 
among  the  Jews,  there  is  more  reason  to  think 
there  were  wholesale  and  retail  merchants  ; 
both  which  are  mentioned  by  the  author  of  Ec- 
clesiasticus,  where  he  says  he  looked  upon  them 
as  dangerous  trades  :  A  merchant  can  hardly 
keep  himself  from  doing  wrongs  arid  a  huckster 
shall  not  be  freed,  from,  sin,  Ecclus.  xxvi,  29. 
He  goes  to  the  source  of  the  evil,  and  adds. 
That  the  desire  of  riches  blindeth  men,  and 
makes  them  fall  into  sin;  and  that  as  a  nail 
sticks  fast  between  the  joinings  of  the  stonrs,  so 
doth  sin  stick  close  between  buying  and,  selling 
17 


v.,  time  I  am  speaking  of.  The 
t  iiicclesiasticus  shows  it,  who  recom- 
..us  the  use  of  this  art,  and  the  composition 
of  m'edicines,  Ecclus.  xxxviii,  1-15.  There 
is  mention  made  in  the  Gospel  of  a  woman  who 
had  spent  all  that  she  had  upon  physicians,  Luke 
viii,  43.  What  the  forementioned  author  says 
afterward  of  the  great  leisure  required  for  the 
study  of  wisdom,  Ecclus.  xxxviii,  24,  seems  to 
prove  that  the  scribes  or  doctors  made  it  their 
whole  employment  :  but  he  shows  at  the  same 
time  the  necessity  of  artificers,  and  there  were 
then  many  among  the  Jews,  Ecclus.  xxxviii, 
27,  &c.  The  Apostles,  Joseph,  and  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  are  undeniable  examples  of  it  ; 
and  what  is  most  remarkable,  St.  Paul,  though 
brought  up  to  letters,  was  master  likewise  of  a 


THEIR  PRETENDED  SANCTITY,  251 


trade.  The  Jews  relate  the  same  of  their  most 
celebrated  rabbins.  {Talmud.) 

^APTER  VL 

> 

Their  Sects  and  Superstitions.  ^ 

The  difference  of  sects  began  ^  that  time  : 
under  Jonathan  the  son  of  Mattathias  there 
were  already  Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Es- 
senes.  {Joseph,,  Ant,  xiii,  9,  xviii,  2.)  The 
Pharisees  joined  the  traditions  of  the  fathers  to 
the  text  of  the  law,  which  were  preserved  with- 
out writing:  and  tho'ugh  the  doctrine  they  main- 
tained was  good  at  the  bottom,  they  mixed  a 
great  many  superstitions  with  it.  They  be- 
lieved  in  fate,  moderated  by  free  will,  or  rather 
by  providence,  which  guides  it.  The  Saddu- 
cees, who  were  a  sort  of  Deists,  imputed  all  to 
free  will.  They  acknowledged  only  the  five 
books  of  Moses  as  Divine,  and  these  they  in- 
terpreted literally,  and  pretended  that  they  did 
not  oblige  them  to  believe  a  resurrection,  or  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  or  that  there  were  an- 
gels or  spirits,  Acts  xxiii,  8.  Thus  they  served 
God  only  for  a  temporal  reward,  and  gave 
themselves  up  much  to  sensual  pleasures. 
They  had  little  agreement  among  themselves, 
and  but  small  authority  with  the  people.  Their 
number  was  not  great  ;  but  they  were  the  chief 
of  the  nation,  and  even  many  of  them  j^riests. 
The  common  people  were  more  attached  to  the 


252        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

Pharisees,  who  kept  an  outward  show  of  great 
piety.  Queen  Alexandra  gave  them  consider- 
able power  in  the  minority  of  her  sons.  {Joseph, 
Bell,  i,  4.) 

The  sect  of  Essenes  was  the  most  singular. 
They  avoided  living  in  great  tsfwns,  their  goods 
were  in  common,  and  their  diet  very  plain. 
{Joseph,  Bell,  ii,  7.)  They  spent  a  great  deal 
of  time  in  prayer,  and  meditating  upon  the  law. 
Their  manner  of  life  was  very  like  that  of  the 
prophets  and  Rechabites.  Some  of  them  too 
observed  a  perfect  continence,  leading  a  life 
altogether  contemplative,  and  in  such  purity 
that  many  of  the  fathers  have  taken  them  for 
Christians.  They  were  a  very  simple  and  up- 
right people,  and  are  never  reprehended  by 
Christ  or  his  apostles. 

The  Pharisees  lived  in  the  midst  of  the  world, 
in  great  amity  with  one  another,  leading  a  plain 
and  outwardly  strict  life  :  but  most  of  them 
were  interested,  ambitious,  and  covetous.  They 
valued  themselves  on  a  great  exactness  in  the 
outward  performance  of  the  law.  Matt,  xxiii, 
23  ;  Mark  vii,  2.  They  gave  tithes  not  only 
of  large  fruits,  but  of  the  smallest  herbs,  as 
cummin,  mint,  and  anise.  They  took  great 
care  to  wash  themselves,  to  purify  their  cups, 
their  plate,  and  all  their  furniture.  They  kept 
the  Sabbath  so  scrupulously,  that  they  made  it 
a  crime  in  our  Saviour  to  moisten  a  bit  of  clay 
at  the  end  of  his  finger,  John  ix,  6,  and  in  his 
disciples  to  pluck  some  ears  of  corn  to  eat  as 
they  passed  along,  Matt,  xii,  2.    They  fasted 


THEIR  PRETENDED  SANCTITY.  253 


often,  many  of  them  twice  a  week,  Luke  xviii, 
12,  i.  e.  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays.  They 
affected  wearing  the  totaphot^  or  phylacteries 
on  the  borders  of  their  garments,  together  with 
their  tsitsith  or  fringes  much  larger  than  ordi- 
nary, Matt,  xxiii,  5.  The  totaphot,  tephillin^ 
or  phylacteries.,  are  scraps  of  writing,  contain- 
ing some  passages  of  the  law,  fastened  upon 
their  forehead  and  left  arm,  in  obedience  to  the 
command  of  having  the  law  of  God  always  be- 
fore their  eyes  or  in  their  hands,  Deut.  vi,  8. 
The  tsitsith  or  fringes  were  of  different  colours, 
and  they  were  ordered  to  wear  them  on  the  bor- 
ders of  their  garments,  that  they  might  look 
upon  them,  and  remember  the  commandments 
of  God,  Num.  xv,  38.  The  Jews  even  to  this 
day  wear  these  outward  marks  of  religion,  when 
they  go  to  the  synagogue  ;  but  upon  working 
days  only  ;  for  upon  the  Sabbath  and  feast  days 
they  pretend  they  have  no  occasion  for  these 
remenabrances.|  {Buxtorf.  Synagog,  Jud.  c.4.) 

*  nSîDItO  Tolphot,  according  to  R.  S.  Jarchi,  signifies 
two  and  two,  or  twice  two;  j^j^  signifies  two  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Cathpians,  (a  people  of  Spain,)  and  ^3  the 
same  in  the  African  or  Punic  tongue.  Hence  the  tot- 
phot  are  always  divided  into  four  compartments.  See 
Jarchi  on  Exod.  xiii,  16. 

t  Phylacteries,  <pv\aKTriçia  from  <pv\aaab>t  to  keep  or 
preserve,  were  small  slips  of  parchment  or  vellum,  on 
which  certain  portions  of  the  law  were  written.  These 
the  Jews  tied  about  their  foreheads  and  wrists.  1.  To 
put  them  in  mind  of  those  precepts  which  they  should 
constantly  observe.  2.  To  procure  them  reverence  and 
respect  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen  ;  and  3.  To  act  as 
iimulets  or  charms  to  drive  away  evil  spirits.  The^rj^ 


254        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


The  Pharisees  gave  alms  in  public,  and 
made  their  faces  that  they  might  look  as  if  the/ 
fasted  much,  Matt,  vi,  2,  5,"  16-18.  For  an 
unclean  person  to  touch  them  was  reckoned  the 

use  of  these  phylacteries  is  evident  from  their  name. 
The  second  use  appears  from  what  is  said  on  the  sub- 
ject from  Gemara^  Beracoth,  quoted  by  Kypke,  "  Whence 
IS  it  proved  that  phylacteries  (vS'^SH  Tephilin)  are  the 
strength  of  Israel  ?  Ans.  From  what  is  written,  Deut, 
xxviii,  10.  All  the  people  of  the  earth  shall  see  that 
thou  art  called  by  the  name  of  niH^  Jehovah  ;  and  they 
shall  be  afraid  of  thee."  The  thii'd  use  of  them  appears 
from  the  Targum  on  Cant,  viii,  3-,  His  left  hand  is  under 
my  head,  &c.  "  The  congregation  of  Israel  hath  said, 
I  am  elect  above  all  people,  because  I  bind  my  phylac- 
teries on  my  left  hand  and  on  my  head,  and  the  scroll  is 
fixed  to  the  right  side  of  my  gate,  the  third  part  of  which 
looks  to  my  bed  chamber,  that  demons  may  not  be  per- 
mitted to  injure  me." 

An  original  phylactery  lies  now  before  me.  It  is  a 
piece  of  fine  vellum  about  eighteen  inches  long,  and  an 
inch  and  a  quarter  broad.  It  is  divided  into  four  un- 
ec^ual  compartments  :  in  the  first  is  written  in  a  very 
fair  character  (with  many  apices  after  the  mode  of  the 
German  Jews)  the  first  ten  verses  of  Exod.  xiii.  In  the 
second  compartment  is  written  from  the  eleventh  to  the 
sixteenth  verse  of  the  same  chapter,  inclusive. 

In  the  thirdj  from  the  fourth  to  the  ninth  verse,  inclu> 
sive,  of  Deut.  vi,  beginning  with,  HeaVy  0  Israel^  &c. 

In  the  fourth,  from  the  13th  to  the  21st  verse,  inclu- 
sive, of  Deut.  xi,  it  shall  come  to  pass^  &c.  These 
passages  seem  to  be  chosen  in  vindication  of  the  use  of 
the  phylactery  itself,  as  the  reader  will  see  in  consulting 
them.  Bind  them  up  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand^  and  for 
frontlets  between  thy  eyes.  Write  them  upon  the  posts  of 
thy  house^  and  upon  thy  gates  ; — all  which  commands  the 
Jews  took  in  the  most  literal  sense.  Even  the  phylac- 
tery became  an  important  appendage  to  a  Pharisee's 
character  ;  insomuch  that  some  of  this  sect  wore  them 
very  broad,  cither  that  they  might  have  the  more  \vrit« 


THEIR  KNOWLEDGE  OF  GREEK.  255 


highest  affront  :  and  such  they  esteemed  not 
only  the  Gentiles  and  public  sinners,  but  all 
that  were  of  any  odious  profession.  In  short, 
most  of  them  were  devout  only  out  of  interest  ; 
they  misled  ignorant  people  by  their  specious 
discourses,  and  the  women  even  stripped  them- 
selves of  whatever  was  valuable,  to  enrich 
them  ;  and,  under  pretence  that  they  were  the 
people  of  God,  with  whom  the  law  was  deposit- 
ed, they  despised  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and 
all  the  nations  upon  earth. 

We  still  see  in  the  books  of  the  Jews  these 
traditions,  of  which  the  Pharisees  made  so  great  a 
mysteryfrom  time  to  time,  and  which  were  writ- 
ten about  a  hundred  years  after  the  resurrection 
of  Christ.  It  is  hardly  possible  for  a  Christian 
to  conceive  the  frivolous  questions  with  which 
these  books  are  filled  ;  as,  Whether  it  be  law- 
ful on  the  Sabbath  day  to  get  upon  an  ass  to 
take  it  to  the  water,  or  whether  it  must  be  led 
by  the  halter?  Whether  one  may  walk  over 
new  sown  land,  because  one  runs  a  hazard  of 

ten  on  them,  or  that  the  characters  being  larger  they 
might  be  the  more  visible,  and  that  they  might  hereby 
acquire  greater  esteem  among  the  common  people.  For 
'the  same  reason  they  wore  the  fringes  of  their  garments 
of  an  unusual  length.  Moses  had  commanded.  Num. 
XV,  38,  39,  the  children  of  Israel  to  put  fringes  to  the 
borders  of  their  garments,  that  when  they  looked  even 
upon  these  distinct  threads,  they  might  remember  not 
only  the  law  in  general,  but  also  the  very  minute  or 
efmaller  parts  of  all  the  precepts,  rites,  and  ceremonies 
belonging  to  it.  As  these  hypocrites  were  destitute  of 
the  life  and  power  of  religion  loithin,  they  endeavoured 
to  supply  its  place  by  phylacteries  and  fringes  witkmcL 


256         MANNERS  OF  Tii£  ISRAELITES. 


taking  up  some  grains  with  ihe  foot  and  conse- 
quently of  sowing  them  ?  Whether  it  be  per- 
mitted on  that  day  to  write  as  many  letters  of 
the  alphabet  as  will  make  sense  ?  If  it  be  law- 
ful to  eat  an  egg  laid  on  the  Sabbath  the  same 
day  ?  About  purifying  the  old  leaven  before  the 
passover  :  whether  they  must  begin  again  to 
purify  a  house,  if  they  should  see  a  mouse 
running  across  it  with  a  crumb  of  bread  1  If  it 
be  lawful  to  keep  pasted  paper,  or  any  plaster 
that  has  flour  in  it?  If  it  be  lawful  to  eat  what 
has  been  dressed  with  the  coals  that  remain 
after  the  old  leaven  is  burnt?  {Buxtorf,  Synag. 
cap.  xi,)  and  a  thousand  of  other  such  cases  of 
conscience,  with  which  the  Talmud  and  its 
commentaries  are  stuffed. 

Thus  the  Jews  forgot  the  greatness  and  ma- 
jesty of  the  law  of  God,  applying  themselves 
to  mean  and  trifling  things  ;  and  were  now  stu- 
pid and  ignorant  in  comparison  of  the  Greeks, 
who  reasoned  upon  more  useful  and  elevated 
subjects  in  their  schools,  and  who  at  least  were 
polite  and  agreeable,  if  not  virtuous. 

Not  but  there  were  always  some  Jews  more 
curious  than  the  rest,  who  took  pains  to  speak 
Greek  correctly,  read  Greek  books,  and  applied 
to  their  studies,  as  grammar,  rhetoric,  and  phi- 
losophy. Such  a  one  was  Aristobulus,  a 
peripatetic  philosopher,  preceptor  to  Ptolemy 
Philometor  ;  and  such  were  Eupolemus,  De- 
metrius, and  the  two  Philos.  Some  of  them 
wrote  histories  in  Greek,  and  after  the  Greek 
manner;  as  Jason  of  Gyrene;  and  the  author 


THEIR  KNOV/LEDGE  OF  GREEK.  257 


of  the  second  book  of  Maccabees,  chap,  ii,  23, 
who  has  abridged  his  works  ;  and  Josephus  the 
celebrated  historian. 

Most  of  the  Jews  that  studied  Greek  lived 
at  Alexandria.  Others  were  content  to  speak 
Greek  so  as  to  be  understood,  that  is,  badly, 
and  alvvajs  retaining  the  turn  of  their  native 
language  :  and  it  is  in  this  compound  Greek 
that  the  translations  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
the  original  of  the  New,  are  written.  The 
apostles  and  evangelists  thought  it  sufficient  to 
write  in  a  clear  concise  manner,  despising  all 
ornaments  of  language,  and  making  use  of  that 
which  was  most  easy  to  be  understood  by  the 
common  people  of  their  own  nation  ;  so  that, 
to  understand  their  Greek  perfectly,  one  must 
be  acquainted  with  Hebrew  and  Syriac* 

The  Jews  of  these  later  times  employed 
themselves  much  in  reading  their  law,  and  the 
Holy  Scriptures  in  general.  They  were  not 
satisfied  with  expounding  them  according  to  the 
letter  :  they  found  out  several  senses  in  them, 
expressed  by  allegories  and  divers  metaphors  : 
we  see  it  not  only  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  writings  of  the  most  ancient  fathers  in  con- 
troversy with  them,  {Justin.  Dial,  cum  Tryph.,) 
but  by  the  books  of  Philo,  the  Talmud,  and 
oldest  Hebrew  commentators  upon  the  law, 
which  they  call  great  Genesis,  great  Exodus^ 

*  In  order  to  understand  the  phraseology  of  the  New 
Testament  properly,  the  Septuagint  should  be  carefully 
studied  ;  and,  indeed,  a  knowlege  of  Hebrew  is  in  many 
respects  essential  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  both. 


258        MANJSERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


and  1^0  on.  {Bereshith  Rabba,  &c.)  They  held 
these  figurative  senses  by  tradition  from  their 
fathers. 

But  to  say  all  at  once,  the  manners  of  the 
Jews  in  those  times  were  excessively  corrupt. 
They  were  ridiculously  proud  of  being  descend- 
ed from  Abraham^  and  puffed  up  with  the  pro- 
mises of  the  Messiah's  kingdom,  which  they 
knew  to  be  near,  and  imagined  would  abound 
with  victories  and  all  manner  of  temporal  pros-  i 
perity.  They  were  selfish,  avaricious,  and  ! 
sordid,  especially  the  Pharisees,  who  were  in  i 
general  great  hypocrites  :  they  were  wavering 
and  unfaithful,  always  ripe  for  sedition  and  re- 
volt, under  a  pretence  of  casting  off  the  yoke 
of  the  Gentiles.  In  short  they  were  violent 
and  cruel,  as  appears  by  what  they  made  our 
Saviour  and  his  apostles  undergo,  and  the  un- 
exampled injuries  they  did  one  another,  both  in 
the  time  of  the  civil  war,  and  the  last  siege  of 
Jerusalem. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  true  Israelites. 

However,  it  was  among  these  people  that 
the  tradition  of  virtue  was  preserved,  as  well  as 
that  of  doctrine  and  religion.  In  this  last  time 
they  had  still  splendid  examples  of  holiness  ; 
Zachariah  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  Joseph,  old 
Simeon,  Anna  the  prophetess,  Nathaniel,  G  a* 


THEIR  TRIBES  AND  FAMILIÈS.  259 

maliel  the  great  doctor,  and  many  others  taken 
notice  of  in  the  history  of  the  New  Testament. 
All  these  holy  persons,  and  the  spiritual  Jews 
in  general,  that  were  circumcised  in  heart,  as 
well  as  body,  were  children  of  Abraham,  more 
by  imitation  of  his  faith,  than  by  birth.  They 
firmly  believed  the  prophecies  and  promises  of 
God  ;  they  waited  with  patience  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  Israel  and  the  reign  of  the  Messiah, 
which  they  vehemently  wished  for  :  but  they 
plainly  saw  they  were  not  to  confine  their  hopes 
to  this  life,  but  believed  the  resurrection,  and 
expected  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Thus  the 
grace  of  the  Gospel  being  superadded  to  such 
holy  dispositions,  it  was  easy  to  make  perfect 
Christians  of  these  true  Israelites, 


PART  IV, 

Containing  farther:  particulars  concerning  the  customs^, 
manners,  &c,  of  the  Israelites,  in  which  a  variety  of 
subjects,  either  not  touched  before,  or  but  slightly 
handled,  are  considered  more  at  large. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Division  of  the  Hebrews  into  Tribes  and  Fa- 
milies, 

The  Hebrews  were  divided  into  twelve 
tribes,  according  to  the  number  of  the  sons  of 
Jacob.  But  God  reserved  to  himself  the  pos- 
terity of  Lcrt,  and  consecrated  them  to  the 


260       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


service  of  his  altars.  So  that  tribe  could  not 
properly  be  reckoned  among  the  twelve  tribes  ; 
but  then  Epiiraim  and  JVLanasseh^  the  two  sons 
of  Joseph,  made  two  ditFerent  tribes,  which 
thereby  supplied  its  place.  The  tribe  of  Levi 
was  divided  into  three  famihes,  which  derived 
their  names  and  origin  from  the  three  sons  of 
Levi.  From  Gershon  came  the  Oershonites  ; 
from  Kohath,  the  Kohathites  ;  from  Merari,  the 
Merarites.  Kohath,  the  second  son  of  Levi, 
had  Amram,  the  father  of  Aaron  and  Moses  ; 
the  latter  of  which  was  the  governor  and  law- 
giver of  the  Hebrews,  the  former  their  high 
priest.  Aaron  had  four  sons,  Nadab,  Abihu, 
Eleazar,  and  Ithamar.  After  the  death  of  the 
two  former  the  priesthood  remained  with  the 
two  others,  whose  posterity  David  divided  into 
twenty-four  classes,  who  performed  the  offices 
of  the  priesthood  weekly,  in  their  turns,  1 
Chron.  xxiv.  Sixteen  of  these  classes  were  in 
the  family  of  Eleazar  ;  whose  names  and  order 
were  as  follow: — 1.  Jehoiarib,  2.  Jedaiah,  3. 
Harim,  4.  Seorim,  6.  Malchijah,  6.  Mijamim, 
7.  Hakkoz,  8.  Abijah,  9.  Jeshuah,  10.  She- 
caiah,  11.  Eliashib,  12.  Jakim,  13.  Huppah, 
14.  Jeshebeah,  15.  Bilgah,  16.  Immer. — So 
that  there  were  but  eight  in  the  family  of  Itha- 
mar, viz.  17.  Hezir,  18.  Aphses,  19.  Petha- 
hiah,  20.  Jehezekel,  or,  Ezechiel,  21.  Jachin, 
22.  Gamul,  23.  Delaiah,  24.  Maaziah. 

The  other  tribes  were  divided  into  different 
families  in  the  same  manner,  and  their  names 
were  these  : — 


THEîR  TRIBES  AND  FAMILIES.  2G1 

The  tribe  of  Reuben,  had  four  families  ;  the 
Hanochites,  the  Palluites,  the  Hesronites,  the 
Carmites. 

The  tribe  of  Simeon  had  five  ;  the  Nemuel- 
ites,  the  Jaminites,  the  Jachinites,  the  Zarhites, 
the  Shaulites. 

The  tribe  of  Gadh^d  seven  ;  the  Zephonites, 
the  Haggites,  the  Shanites,  the  Oznites,  the 
Entes,  the  Arodites,  the  Arelites. 

The  tribe  oï  Judah  had  five  ;  the  Shelanites, 
the  Pharzites,  the  Zarhites,  the  Hesronites, 
the  HamuHtes. 

The  tribe  of  Issachar  had  four  ;  the  Tolaites, 
the  Punites,  the  Jashu bites,  the  Shrimronites. 

The  tribe  of  Zehulun  had  three  ;  the  Sar- 
dites,  the  Elonites,  the  Jahleelites. 

The  tribe  of  Manasseh  had  eight  ;  the  Ma- 
chirites,  the  Gileadites,  the  Jeezerites,  the 
Helekites,  the  Arielites,  the  Shechemites,  the 
Shemiadites,  the  Hepherites. 

The  tribe  of  Ephraim  had  four  ;  the  Shu- 
thahtes,  the  Bachrites,  the  Tahanites,  the  Eran- 
ites. 

The  tribe  of  Benjamin  had  seven  ;  the  Be!a- 
ites,  the  AshbeeUtes,  the  Ahiramites,  the  Shu- 
iphamites,  the  Huphamites,  the  Ardites,  the 
JN  aamites. 

The  tribe  of  Dan  had  but  one  :  the  Shu- 
hamites. 

The  tribe  of  Asher  h^A  five  ;  the  Jimnites, 

f -^7^^^'  Beriites,  the  Heberites,  the 
Malchiehtes. 

The  tribe  of  JYaphlali  had  four;  the  Jah- 


262  ,     MANNERS  OP  THE  ISRAELITES. 

zeelites,  the  Gunites,  the  Jezerites,  the  Shil- 
lemites. 

Hitherto  we  have  spoken  only  of  the  He- 
brews by  birth,  who  descended  from  Abraham, 
and  belonged  to  one  of  the  tribes  ;  whence  it 
was  that  they  were  better  esteemed  among  the 
Jews  than  those  who  had  been  born  Gentiles, 
and  had  embraced  Judaism.  For  thus  we  find 
St.  Paul  urging  it,  as  a  matter  of  merit  among 
the  Jews,  that  he  was  born  a  Jew.  "  I  was," 
says  he,  "  circumcised  the  eighth  day,  of  the 
stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a  He- 
brew of  the  Hebrews  :  as  touching  the  law,  a 
Pharisee,"  Phil,  iii,  5.  The  second  sort  of  the 
Hebrews  we  mentioned  were  such  as  were 
Gentiles  by  birth,  but  had  embraced  the  Jew- 
ish religion. 

None  was  excluded  from  receiving  Judaism 
but  eunuchs.  All  strangers  were  received  into 
it  whenever  they  thought  fit  to  submit  to  its 
laws,  or  at  least  to  the  principal  of  them  ;  for 
these  proselytes  (that  is  to  say  strangers, 
Tlfoo'TjXiiTo/,)  were  of  two  sorts.  Some  were 
called  proselytes  of  habitation,^  others,  prose- 
lytes of  justice.  The  former  had  only  their 
dwelling  or  habitation  among  the  Jews,  and  did 
not  engage  themselves  to  an  entire  observance 
of  the  law.  But  they  were  nevertheless  obHged 
to  keep  the  Sabbath,  and  what  the  Talmudists 
call  the  precepts  of  Noah,  that  is,  what  God 
commanded  JYoah  to  observe,  namely,  not  to 

*  Or,  proselytes  of  the  gate^  because  permitted  to  live 
within  their  gates.  Prid-  Con-  partii,  lib.  5. 


THEIR  PROSELYTES. 


263 


worship  idols,  and  to  abstain  from  blood  ;  to- 
gether with  some  other  commandments  which 
he  gave  him,  and  of  which  we  shall  speak  more 
particularly  in  another  place.  For  the  Jews 
were  far  from  suffering  the  strangers,  who 
dwelt  among  them,  to  live  without  laws.  All 
which  Maimonides  explains  in  his  treatise  of  a 
proselyte.  (Chap.  2.)  "What,"  says  he,  "is 
a  proselyte  of  habitation  ?  He  is  one  who  en- 
gages to  renounce  idolatry,  and  observe  the 
commandments  which  were  given  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Noah  ;  but  neither  is  circumcised  nor 
baptized.  He  is  called  a  proselyte  of  habita- 
tion, because  we  are  permitted  to  give  such  a 
one  a  habitation  among  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  he  is  received  as  a  religious  Gentile."  He 
adds,  "  Whoever  engages  to  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  Noah,  and  is  exact  in  his  observ- 
ance of  them,  has  a  right  to  the  rewards  of  a 
future  state."  And  the  Jews  were  forbidden  to 
suffer  any  Gentile  to  live  among  them  who  did 
not  submit  to  the  observance  of  these  precepts; 
as  we  learn  from  the  same  author.  "  We  are 
obliged,"  says  he,  "  to  kill  all  the  Gentiles  who 
refuse  to  keep  the  commandments  of  Noah,  if 
they  are  in  our  power.  It  is  only  to  us,  who 
are  the  inheritance  of  Jacob,  and  to  those  of 
any  other  nation  who  will  become  proselytes, 
that  Moses  has  given  the  law.  For  it  is  said 
there  shall  be  no  difference  between  the  prose- 
lytes and  you.  And  therefore,  as  to  the  law, 
let  him  embrace  it  that  will  ;  we  force  nobody 
to  it  :  but  as  for  the  commandments  of  Noah, 


264       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

Moses  our  master,  who  was  taught  by  God 
himself,  has  commanded  us  to  force  all  those 
who  shall  come  into  the  world  to  observe  them, 
and  to  kill  all  those  who  shall  refuse  to  keep 
them.  He  who  receives  them  is  called  a  pro- 
selyte of  habitation^  and  must  engage  himself 
to  do  so  in  the  presence  of  three  learned  per- 
sons." 

The  second  sort  of  converted  Hebrews  were 
called  proselytes  of  justice.  They  were  so 
called,  because  they  embraced  the  whole  law 
of  Moses,  and  engaged  themselves  to  live  hoHly 
and  justly.  And  they  therefore  had  the  rank 
and  privileges  of  natural  Jews.  And  it  is  of 
them  that  we  are  to  understand  those  words  of 
our  blessed  Saviour  in  the  Gospel,  "  Ye  com- 
pass sea  and  lamd  to  make  one  proselyte,"  Matt, 
xxiii,  15. 

In  order  to  become  a  proselyte  of  justice^ 
there  were  three  ceremonies  to  be  performed  ; 
the  first  of  which  was  circumcision.  The  blood 
that  was  spilt  in  the  performance  of  this,  was 
called  the  blood  of  the  covenant^  and  these  new 
converts  were  thought  to  be  the  children  of  it. 
And  as  to  the  necessity  of  it,  the  commandment 
of  God  to  Abraham  is  very  express:  "The 
uncircumcised  man  child,  whose  flesh  of  his 
foreskin  is  not  circumcised,  that  soul  shall  be 
cut  off  from  his  people,"  Gen.  xvii,  14.  Cir- 
cumcision was,  as  it  were,  the  seal  which  sealed 
the  covenant  which  the  proselyte  entered  into 
with  God,  and  the  solemn  profession  he  made 
of  observing  the  law  of  Moses  ;  which  made 


THEIR  PROSELYTES. 


265 


St.  Paul  say,  Gal.  v,  3,  "  I  testify  to  every 
man  that  is  circumcised,*  that  he  is  a  debtor  to 
do  the  whole  law."  And  Maimonides  {Ibid. 
eh.  i,)  also  teaches  the  same  thing.  "  When  a 
Gentile,"  says  he,  "has  a  mind  to  enter  into 
the  covenant,  to  shelter  himself  under  the  wings 
of  the  majesty  of  God,  and  to  submit  to  the  law» 
he  must  be  circumcised." 

The  second  ceremony  was  washings  or  èap- 
tism  ;  which  must  have  been  performed  in  the 
presence  of  at  least  three  Jews  of  distinction. 
At  the  time  of  the  performance  of  it,  the  prose- 
lyte declared  his  abhorrence  of  his  past  life,  and 
that  it  was  neither  ambition  nor  avarice,  but  a 
sincere  love  for  the  law  of  Moses,  which  pre- 
vailed on  him  to  be  baptized  ;  and  he  was  then 
likewise  instructed  in  the  most  essential  part  of 
the  law.  He  promised  at  the  same  time  to  lead 
a  godly  life,  to  worship  the  true  God,  and  to 
keep  his  commandments.  And  hence  the  Chris- 
tian Church  has  borrowed  those  ceremonies 
which  she  makes  use  of  in  receiving  proselytes, 
whether  Jews  or  Gentiles  ;  for  it  is  manifest 
that  the  institution  of  baptism  by  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  discipline  of  theyprimitive  Church  in  the 
administration  of  it,  have  a  relation  to  this  cere 
mony  among  the  Jews. 

The  third  ceremony  to  be  performed  was  that 
of  offering  sacrifice.  All  these,  except  circum- 
cision, were  performed  by  the  women  as  well 
as  the  men,  who  became  proselytes.    And  as 

*  Or,  as  the  French  has  it,  Evh-yman  that  causes  him* 
self  to  be  circumcised. 

18 


^66        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


concerning  those  who  had  gone  through  all 
these  ceremonies,  it  was  a  common  opinion 
among  the  Jews,  that  they  ought  to  be  looked 
on  as  new-born  infants.  Maimonides  says  it 
in  express  terms  :  *'  A  Gentile,"  says  he,  "  who 
is  become  a  proselyte,  and  a  slave  who  is  set 
at  liberty,  are  both  as  it  were  new-born  babes  ; 
which  is  the  reason  why  those  who  before  were 
their  parents,  are  now  no  longer  so."  Whence 
it  is  evident,  that  nothing  could  be  more  just 
than  Jesus  Christ's  reproaching  Nicodemus 
with  his  being  a  master  in  Israel^  and  yet  being 
at  the  same  time  ignorant  how  a  man  could  be 
born  a  second  time^  John  iii,  10. 

But  to  be  more  particular:  I  cannot  forbear 
relating  here  at  large  all  that  Maimonides  says 
of  the  manner  of  their  receiving  proselytes.  It 
will,  I  doubt  not,  be  some  pleasure  to  the 
reader  to  trace  out  in  it  the  origin  of  Christian 
baptism,  and  of  the  ancient  ceremonies  which 
the  Church  observed  in  it.  For  they  are  all 
borrowed  from  the  Jews,  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  apostles  not  having  thought  fit  to  abolish 
them,  or  to  substitute  new  ones  in  their  room. 

"  How,"  says  he,  "  ought  a  proselyte  now  to 
be  received  ?  When  any  one  offers  himself,  if 
upon  a  strict  inquiry  it  appears  that  the  motives 
to  his  conversion  are  pure,  he  shall  be  asked  this 
question  :  What  have  you  seen  in  us  which  in- 
clines you  to  become  a  proselyte  ?  Don't  you 
know  that  the  Israelites  live  now  in  sorrow  and 
reproach,  that  they  are  exiles,  are  dispersed 
abroad,  and  are  laden  every  day  with  fresh  mise- 


THEIR  PROSELYTES. 


267 


ries?  If  he  answers,  I  know  all  this,  and  yet 
think  myself  unworthy  of  being  received  among 
them,  he  must  be  admitted.  And  then  he  shall 
be  taught  the  principal  articles  of  religion,  the 
unity  of  God,  and  the  prohibition  of  idolatry  in 
which  he  must  be  thoroughly  instructed.  And 
among  the  commandments  of  God  which  are 
taught  him,  both  some  of  the  most  and  some  of 
the  least  importance  shall  be  mentioned,  but 
briefly.  To  which  shall  be  added  the  punish- 
ments annexed  to  the  breach  of  these  precepts. 
It  shall  be  said  to  him.  Are  you  sensible  that 
before  you  embrace  religion  you  may  eat  fat, 
and  not  observe  the  Sabbath  Î  And  that  if 
after  you  are  become  a  proselyte  you  eat  fat, 
you  will  be  excommunicated,  and  if  you  break 
the  Sabbath,  stoned  ?  But  nevertheless  these 
punishments  are  not  to  be  mentioned  to  him 
but  with  a  great  deal  of  prudence,  lest  the  ter- 
rible idea  they  give  him  of  religion  should  turn 
him  from  the  right  way.  Men  must  first  be 
won  over  by  gentle  methods  ;  they  must,  as  the 
Scripture  expresses  it,  be  '  drawn  with  the  cords 
of  a  man,  with  bands  of  love,'  Hos.  xi,  4. 

"  And  as  he  must  be  instructed  in  the  doc- 
trine of  punishments,  so  likewise  in  that  of 
rewards.  It  shall  be  declared  to  him,  that  the 
observance  of  the  law  will  gain  him  an  immor- 
tal life  in  the  other  world,  and  that  none  are 
truly  wise  and  just  in  this,  but  they  who  know 
the  law  and  keep  it.  For  it  shall  be  added, 
that  a  future  life  is  reserved  only  for  the  right- 
eous, which  are  the  Israelites  ;  and  that  if  they 


268       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

are  unhappy  in  this  world,  this  very  thing 
shows  that  they  will  be  eternally  happy  in  the 
next.  It  is  not  necessary  that  they  should 
enjoy  the  same  happiness  upon  earth  that 
other  people  do;  their  corrupt  inclinations  might 
lead  them  either  into  pride  or  error,  and  they 
might  by  that  means  lose  the  reward  of  the 
world  to  come.  Jeshurun,  as  saith  the  Scrip- 
ture, *  waxed  fat  and  kicked,'  Deut  xxxii,  15. 
So  that  God  does  not  punish  the  Israelites  with 
design  to  destroy  them.  No,  they  shall  be 
preserved  ;  and  it  is  the  Gentiles  which  shall 
be  destroyed.  It  is  proper  to  enlarge  upon  this 
subject,  that  his  love  and  zeal  may  be  doubled 
thereby. 

"  If  he  alters  his  resolution,  and  no  longer 
desires  to  be  a  proselyte,  he  shall  be  left  at  his 
liberty.  If  he  perseveres,  circumcision  must 
not  be  deferred.  And  if  he  has  been  already 
circumcised,  the  blood  of  the  covenant  must 
be  drawn  afresh  from  the  wound.  And  then 
time  shall  be  given  him  for  his  cure,  after  which 
he  must  be  baptized. 

*'  Three  chosen  men  shall  stand  before  him 
when  he  is  in  the  water,  and  shall  again  pro- 
pose to  him  some  of  the  commandments  of  the 
law.  If  it  be  a  woman,  women  shall  put  her 
into  the  water,  the  doctors  shall  instruct  her 
while  she  is  in  it,  and  then  they  shall  go  out, 
and  turn  away  their  eyes  from  her  while  she 
comes  out." 


NAMES  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


269 


CHAPTER  II. 

Kamts  and  Divisions  of  the  Holy  Land. 

As  to  names,  the  country  of  the  Hebrews  has 
had  several.  It  was  first  called  the  land  of 
Canaan^  from  Canaan,  the  son  of  Ham,  whose 
posterity  possessed  it.  It  was  afterward  called 
Palestine^  from  the  people  which  the  Hebrews 
call  Philistines,  and  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
(corruptly)  Palestines,  who  inhabit  the  sea- 
coasts,  and  were  first  known  to  them.  And  it 
likewise  had  the  name  of  the  land  of  promise, 
from  the  promise  God  gave  Abraham  of  giving 
it  to  him  ;  that  of  the  land  of  Israel,  from  the 
Israelites  having  made  themselves  masters  of 
it  ;  that  oïJudea,  from  the  tribe  of  Judah,  which 
was  the  most  considerable  of  the  twelve,  and 
the  only  one  that  remained  after  the  dispersion  ; 
and  lastly,  the  happiness  it  had,  of  being  sanc- 
tified by  the  presence,  actions,  miracles,  and 
death  of  Jesus  Christ,  has  given  it  the  name 
of  the  Holy  Land,  which  it  retains  to  this 
day. 

As  it  has  happened  to  other  countries,  with 
respect  to  the  inhabitants,  and  their  cities,  so 
likewise  to  this.  It  has  often  changed  its  inha- 
bitants and  masters  ;  several  of  its  cities  have 
been  ruined,  and  several  of  them  new  built; 
and  it  has  been  divided  in  several  different 
manners,  in  the  various  revolutions  it  has  un- 
dergone.   For  it  was  differently  divided,  1.  By 


270        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

its  ancient  inhabitants  ;  2.  By  Joshua  ;  3.  By 
the  Romans  ;  4.  In  the  time  of  Christ  ;  and  5. 
By  Herod. 

But  it  is  not  so  as  to  its  rivers  and  moun- 
tains ;  they  are  neither  of  them  subject  to 
change.  The  Jordan  is  almost  the  only  river 
in  the  Holy  Land  ;  the  others  are  rather  brooks 
or  rivulets.  This  river  divides  Judea;  for  it 
has  its  rise  among  the  mountains  of  Libanus, 
and  after  having  run  through  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee, loses  itself  in  the  Dead  Sea,  which  is  the 
other  extremity  of  the  land  of  Judah,  toward 
the  south.  It  took  its  name  from  the  city  of 
Dan,  in  whose  neighbourhood  it  rises  ;  for  Jor- 
dan^ or  Yarden^  is  the  same  thing  as  if  it  was 
said,  the  river  of  Dan,^  The  sea  of  Galilee, 
which  Jordan  runs  through,  is  but  a  lake  ;  but 
the  Hebrews  give  the  name  of  sea  to  any  great 
collection  of  waters.  The  same  may  be  ob- 
served of  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  a  great  lake, 
which  the  Greeks  call  Asphaltitis,  on  account  of 
the  bitumen  it  abounds  with  ;  and  the  Jews  call 
it  the  Dead  Sea,  because  fish  cannot  live  in  it. 
It  was  in  this  place  which  is  now^  covered  by 
the  lake,  that  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomor- 
rah stood.  After  Jordan  are  reckoned  Jar- 
mach  in  the  country  of  the  Gergesenes,  which 
rises  among  the  mountains  of  Gilead  ;  and 
Kirmion,  near  Damascus,  otherwise  called 
Jlmanach^  or  Abana;  to  which  are  added  Phar- 
phar^  which  runs  down  from  Mount  Hermon; 


*  niTI       Yarden,  the.  river  of  Dan  or  jxidgmeiit* 


ANCIENT  INHAiBITANTS.  271 


KishoUj  which  was  in  the  tribes  of  Issachar 
and  Zabulun  ;  Arnon,  which  comes  from  the 
mountain  of  the  same  name,  and  runs  into 
the  Dead  Sea  ;  and  Jabok,  which  falls  into 
Jordan. 

This  country  has  several  mountains  ;  the 
most  famous  of  which  are  Libanus  and  Anti- 
libanus,  to  the  north  ;  the  mountains  of  Gilead, 
those  of  the  Moabites,  Hermon  and  Amon^  to 
the  east  ;  the  mountains  of  the  Desert  to  the 
south;  and  Carmel^  the  mountains  of  Ephraim, 
and  the  mountains  of  the  Philistines,  to  the 
west.  And  there  are  likewise  some  in  the 
middle  of  Judea,  as  Tabor,  Gerizim,  EbaJ^ 
Sion,  JMoriah,  Hebron,  and  what  the  Gospel 
calls  the  mountains  of  Judea.  But  to  return  to 
the  divisions  before  mentioned. 

1.  When  Abraham  went  into  the  land  of 
Canaan  it  was  inhabited  by  eleven  sorts  of 
people,  who,  as  Moses  tells  us.  Gen.  x,  took 
their  names  from  the  eleven  sons  of  Canaan. — 
They  were  these  : — 

The  Sidonians,  descended  from  Sidon  ;  they 
possessed  the  cities  of  Sidon,  Tyre,  Jokneam, 
and  Aeon,  since  called  Ptolemais. 

The  Jebusites,  from  Jebus,  their  parent,  since 
called  the  Philistines  ;  their  cities  were  La- 
chish,  Gath,  Ekron,  Ascalon,  Azotus,  Gerar, 
and  Debir. 

The  Amorties  descended  from  Amor  ;  who 
had  the  cities  of  Nabah,  Heshbon,  Bozrah,  and 
Ramoth-Gilead. 

The  Girgashites,  from  Girgas  ;  they  had 


272        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


the  cities  of  Damascus,  Maachathi,  Geshur, 
Zobah,  Teman,  Ashteroth,  and  Edrei. 

The  Hivites^  from  Heveh  ;  their  cities  are 
Jerusalem,  Jeficho,  Ai,  Bethel,  Gilead,  Lib- 
nah,  Makkeda,  and  Bezer. 

The  Arkites  descended  from  Arak  ;  who  had 
the  cities  of  Esebon,  Midian,  and  Petra. 

The  SiniteSy  who  descended  from  Sin,  and 
were  masters  of  the  cities  of  Admah,  Sodom, 
Gomorrah,  Zeboim,  and  Zoar. 

The  ArvaditeSj  from  Arad;  who  possessed 
the  cities  of  Arad,  Jarmuth,  Hebron,  Adullam, 
and  Eglon. 

The  Zemarites,  from  Zemar  ;  in  their  terri- 
tories were  built  Samariah,  Tappuah,  Tirzah, 
and  Tanai. 

The  Hamathites,  from  Hamath  ;  who  had 
the  cities  of  Shimron,  and  Kedesh,  and  Razor, 
and  Hamath.  To  which  likewise  are  added 
the  Perizzites,  to  whom  belonged  the  cities  of 
Amalek  and  Bozrah. 

2.  When  the  Israelites  made  themselves 
masters  of  the  land  of  Canaan^  since  from  them 
called  the  land  of  Israel^  the  most  powerful 
people  who  inhabited  it  were  the  Amorites,  the 
Perizzites,  the  Hivites,  the  Canaanites,  the 
Hittites,  the  Jebuzites,  and  the  Girgashites. — 
It  was  from  them  that  Joshua  gained  it  by  con- 
quest, and  he  divided  it  into  twelve  parts,  which 
the  twelve  tribes  drew  by  lot.  The  tribe  of 
Levi  indeed  possessed  no  lands  :  God  assigned 
the  Lévites  the  tenths  and  first  fruits  of  the 
estates  of  their  brethren  :  though  nevertheless 


DIVISIONS  OF  JUDEA.  273 

they  had  some  cities  which  were  dispersed 
among  the  other  tribes,  and  were  therefore  called 
Levitical  cities  ;  and  some  of  them  were  cities 
of  refuge,  for  those  who  should*have  killed  any 
one  unawares.  But  though  the  tribe  of  Levi 
did  not  partake  of  the  division  of  the  land,  and 
this  division  therefore  was  only  among  eleven 
of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  yet  was  the  land  of  Israel 
divided  into  twelve  portions.  There  were,  I 
say,  twelve  tribes,  notwithstanding,  who  divided 
the  land  of  Canaan  among  them,  inasmuch  as 
the  children  of  the  two  sons  of  Joseph,  Eph- 
raim,  and  Manasseh,  made  two  different  tribes. 
Those  of  Reuben,  Gad,  and  a  part  of  that  of 
Manasseh,  were  placed  beyond  Jordan,  toward 
Arabia  and  Syria  :  the  rest  settled  on  this  side 
of  it. 

The  most  considerable  change  which  took 
place  in  this  country  was  that  which  happened 
when  the  ten  tribes  were  driven  from  it,  and  car- 
ried into  captivity  by  the  Assyrians.  The  Cu- 
theans,  who  were  sent  to  possess  their  country, 
dwelled  chiefly  in  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  and  the 
half  tribe  of  Manasseh.  The  tribe  of  Judah 
continued  in  captivity  at  Babylon  seventy  years  ; 
and  the  Greeks  afterward  made  themselves 
masters  of  the  empire  of  the  east,  and  some  of 
them.who  were  kings  of  Syria,reunited  the  great- 
est part  of  the  country  which  the  tribes  of  Israel 
possessed,  to  their  crown  ;  and  by  this  means 
(the  tribe  of  Judah  remaining  alone  after  the 
others  were  dispersed)  the  names  which  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  lai>d  of  promise  had  received 


274         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


upon  the  division  Joshua  made  of  it  among  the 
twelve  tribes,  were  changed  long  before  the  i 
birth  of  Jesus  Christ.  i 

3.  The  Romans  divided  this  country  into 
Palestine  and  Phenicia.  The  former  con- 
tained the  ancient  country  of  the  Philistines, 
the  latter  all  the  maritime  cities  as  far  as 
Libanus,  and  made  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of 
Syria. 

4.  In  the  time  of  Jésus  Christ  the  land  of 
Israel  was  divided  into  Judea,  Samaria,  Ga- 
lilee, and  Idumea;  4Rd  there  were  then  several 
Galilees,  as  we  shall  see  presently. 

Judea  contained  a  part  of  the  ancient  tribe 
of  Judah,  and  those  of  Benjamin,  Dan,  and 
Simeon.  Its  breadth  was  from  Jordan  to  the 
city  of  Joppa. 

Idumea,  which  was  south  of  Judea,  between 
Arabia  and  Egypt,  had  been  conquered  by 
Hyrcanus  ;  and  this  high  priest  commanded 
the  inhabitants  either  to  be  circumcised,  or  to 
leave  their  country  ;  upon  which  they  chose  to 
be  circumcised,  and  from  that  time  their  coun- 
try became  a  part  of  Judea  ;  so  that  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  if  St.  Mark  reckons  the 
Idumeans  among  those  who  came  to  Jesus 
Christ,  Mark  iii,  8.  The  name  of  Idumea  was 
at  first  given  only  to  the  country  which  was 
possessed  by  Esau,  who  in  Hebrew  is  called 
Edom,  that  is  red.  His  first  descendants  were 
at  first  called  Edomites  and  afterward  Idu- 
means.    We  know  of  no  king  of  Idumea 


DIVISIONS  OF  JUDEA. 


275 


but  Esau,  whom  the  Greeks  call  g^u^pocr,  that 
is  to  say,  red  ;  and  from  hence  the  Red  Sea, 
or  Erithrea,  has  its  name  ;  and  not  from  any 
particular  colour  either  in  its  water  or  its 
sand. 

Samaria  was  at  first  only  the  name  of  a  city, 
but  it  became  afterward  that  of  a  province.  It 
contained  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh,  which  was  on  this  side  Jor- 
dan ;  so  that  it  was  to  the  north  of  Judea,  and 
between  the  great  sea,  Galilee,  and  Jordan  ; 
and  there  was  therefore  no  going  from  Galilee 
to  Jerusalem  without  passing  through  this  pro- 
vince, John  iv,  4.  Sichem,  called  by  the  He- 
brews Sichar,  was  its  capital,  and  was  situated 
between  the  mountains  Gerizim  and  Ebal. — 
The  name  of  Sichar  was  a  term  of  reproach 
which  the  Jews  gave  this  city  in  allusion  to 
that  passage  of  Isaiah,  Wo  to  the  drunk- 
ards of  Ephraim,''  Isaiah  xxviii,  1  :  for  the 
Hebrew  word  the  prophet  here  makes  use  of 
comes  from  Sachar,  which  signifies  to  get 
drunk,  and  St.  John  therefore  calls  this  city  by 
the  name  the  Jews  used  to  do.  Near  it  was 
Jacob's  well. 

Josephus  distinguishes  between  two  Galilees^ 
the  upper  and  the  loiver  :  they  both  join  to  Syria 
and  Phenieia,  to  the  west  ;  Samaria  and  Scy- 
thopolis,  as  far  as  Jordan,  to  the  south;  the 
towns  of  Hippus  and  Gadara,  and  the  terri- 
tory of  Gaulonitis  to  the  east  ;  and  Tyre  and 
its  territory  to  the  north  ;  so  that  Galilee  con- 
tained the  tribes  of  Issachar,  Zabulun,  Ashur, 


276         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

and  Naphtali,  except  Paneadis,  which  took  its 
name  from  the  city  of  Paneas,  formerly  Dan, 
and  since  called  Cesarea  Philippi,  situated  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Libanus  :  all  this  latter  terri- 
tory is  out  of  Galilee.  This  province  had  the 
happiness  to  receive  the  light  of  the  Gospel  the 
first  of  any  :  it  then  contained  a  great  number 
of  very  populous  cities.  Josephus,  from  whom 
we  take  this  account,  reckons  up  to  the  number 
of  two  hundred  and  four  cities  or  villages  ;  the 
least  of  which  had  above  fifteen  thousand  in- 
habitants. 

The  country  that  the  tribes  of  Reuben  and 
Gad  possessed  beyond  Jordan  was  called  Pe- 
rça, which  signifies  a  distant  'province^  because 
it  was  beyond  Jordan.  Its  length,  according  to 
Josephus,  {Wars  of  the  Jews^  b.  iii,  c.  3,)  was 
from  the  city  of  Macheron  to  that  of  Pella  ;  and 
its  breadth,  from  Philadelphia,  a  country  of  the 
ancient  Moabites,  to  Jordan.  Pella  was  to  the 
north  of  it  ;  Jordan  to  the  west  ;  the  country 
of  the  Moabites  to  the  south;  and  Arabia  to 
the  east.  The  country  which  extends  toward 
Libanus  northward,  and  toward  the  mountains 
of  Hermon  eastward  near  Damascus,  was  the 
portion  of  the  half  tribe  of  Manasseh  ;  but  after- 
ward it  comprehended  Gaulonitis,  so  called 
from  the  city  of  Gaulon,  which  Josephus  makes 
to  have  been  two  cities,  the  upper  and  the 
lower  ;  {Wars  of  the  Jeivs^  b.  i,  c.  1  ;)  Batanea, 
which  was  formerly  the  kingdom  of  Bashan  ; 
and  Trachonitis,  which  took  its  name  from  the 
craggy  mountains  with  which  it  abounded. 


DIVISIONS  OF  JUDEA. 


277 


Strabo  says  it  touched  upon  Celosyria.  To  the 
north  lay  Auranitis,  which  took  its  name  from 
the  city  of  Auran,  which  was  situated  between 
Cesarea  and  Damascus.  And  near  it  was 
Iturea,  which  joined  to  Celosyria,  beyond  Mount 
Libanus.  Pliny  places  Iturea  in  Celosyria 
itself;  and  Adricomius  says,  Iturea  begins  at 
Jordan,  and  extends  all  along  Libanus,  as  far 
as  to  the  mountains  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  toward 
the  west.  So  that  they  must  be  mistaken  who 
place  Iturea  in  Perea.  They  found  their  opin- 
ion indeed  upon  what  the  Scripture  tells  us  of 
the  Itureans  having  assisted  the  tribes  of  Reu- 
ben and  Gad  ;  but  it  does  not  follow  from 
thence  that  Iturea  was  in  the  middle  of  those 
tribes,  or  even  in  their  neighbourhood.  Perea 
was  subject  to  Herod  the  tetrarch  ;  and  the 
Gospel  tells  us  that  Iturea  was  a  part  of  Philip's 
tetrarchy,  Luke  iii,  1. 

But  beside  these,  there  was  yet  another  can- 
ton in  Judea,  which  was  called  Decapolis,  be- 
cause it  contained  ten  cities,  whose  inhabitants 
lived  after  the  Grecian  manner,  and  Josephus 
therefore  calls  them  Grecian  cities,  Pliny 
reckons  among  the  cities  of  Decapolis,  Damas- 
cus, Opoton,  Philadelphia,  Raphana,  Scythopo- 
lis,  Gadara,  and  Hippus  ;  and  Josephi>s  tells 
us  {Antiq.  b.  xvii,  c.  11,  s.  4,  and,  Wars  of  the 
Jews,  b.  ii,  c.  6,  s.  3,)  that  Cesar  separated 
Gaza,  Gadara,  and  Hippus,  from  the  kingdom 
of  Judea,  and  joined  them  to  Syria.  But  those 
geographers  who  place  Capernaum,  Corazin, 
Bethsaida,  and  Cesarea  Philippi  in  Decapolis, 


278        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

are  certainly  mistaken  ;  though  it  be  true,  that 
some  of  those  ten  cities  were  round  about  the 
sea  of  Tiberias  and  Jordan  ;  and  that  Josephus 
therefore  says  that  Gahiee  was  encompassed 
with  strangers.  Agreeably  to  which  he  says, 
in  another  place,  that  the  Gentiles  killed  a  great 
number  of  the  Jews  in  the  cities  of  Scythopolis, 
Gadara,  and  Hippus  ;  and  it  is  probably  cities 
of  this  kind  that  the  Gospel  means  by  the  name 
of  "Galilee  of  the  Gentiles." 

Gadara^  the  metropolis  of  Perea,  according 
to  Strabo,  gave  the  name  of  Gadarenes  to  its 
territory,  in  Hke  manner  as  that  of  Gergesenes 
came  from  the  city  of  Gergesa.  These  two 
little  countries  were  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
each  other;  and  it  ought  not  therefore  to  be 
wondered  at,  that  in  the  relation  of  the  same 
miracle,  St.  Mark  and  St.  Luke,  Mark  v,  2  ; 
Luke  viii,  26,  should  say  that  Jesus  Christ  did 
it  in  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  and  St. 
Matthew,  Matt,  viii,  28,  in  that  of  the  Ger- 
gesenes :  nor  is  it  any  thing  more  strange,  that 
these  people  should  keep  swine,  since  they  were 
Gentiles.  And  we  find  likewise  in  the  same 
relation  of  the  evangelists,  a  proof  that  Gadara 
and  Gergesa  were  parts  of  Decapolis.  For  St. 
Mark  says,  Mark  v,  20,  that  the  demoniac,  who 
was  delivered  from  the  unclean  spirits  which 
Jesus  Christ  permitted  to  go  into  the  herd  of 
swine,  published  the  miracles  which  Jesus 
Christ  had  wrought  in  his  favour,  in  Decapolis; 
whereas  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Luke,  Matt,  viii, 
33  ;  Luke  viii,  39,  only  say,  that  he  published 


DIVISIONS  OF  JUDEA. 


279 


them  "  throughout  the  whole  city,"  that  is,  either 
in  Gadara  or  Gergesa. 

These  two  cities  were  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  a  lake  which  was  called  Genesareth^  from 
the  city  of  Chinnereth.  This  lake  the  book  of 
Joshua,  chap,  xii,  3,  places  in  the  tribe  of  Naph- 
tali  ;  and  in  Numbers,  chap,  xxxiv,  11,  it  is 
called  the  sea  of  Chinnereth  ;  for  both  this  pas- 
sage and  that  in  Joshua,  are  to  be  understood 
of  this  lake.  Afterward  the  name  of  Genesa- 
reth  was  given  both  to  the  lake  and  the  country 
round  about  it  ;  which,  as  Josephus  testifies, 
{Wars  of  the  Jews,h,  iii,  ch.  10,  s.  8,)  was  wa- 
tered by  a  spring  called  Capernaum  ;  whence 
without  doubt  the  city  so  called  had  its  name. 
The  sea-  of  Genesareth,  as  the  Hebrews  speak, 
was  likewise  called  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  from 
the  city  of  that  name  which  stood  near  it.  Some 
have  thought  that  the  city  of  Tiberias  was  the 
ancient  Chinnereth  ;  but  it  is  a  mistake.  Jo- 
sephus expressly  says  that  Herod  built  it  in  a 
place  where  there  was  no  city  before.  "  Herod 
the  tetrarch,"  says  he,  to  testify  his  gratitude 
to  Tiberius,  who  honoured  him  with  his  friend- 
ship, chose  out  an  agreeable  place  upon  the 
borders  of  the  lake  called  Genesareth,  and  there 
he  built  a  city  which  he  called  Tiberius." 
{Jlntiq.  b.  xviii,  c.  2,  s.  3.) 

Cetosyria  is  without  the  borders  of  Judea, 
but  joins  to  them  ;  one  part  of  it  is  called  Mi 
lene,  from  the  city  Abila,  its  capital  ;  which  I 
observe,  because  this  little  province  was  a  part 
I  of  Herod  the  Great's  kingdom  ;  and  St.  Luke, 


280       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


chap,  iii,  1,  speaking  of  the  princes  who  go- 
verned at  the  time  that  St.  John  began  to 
preach,  mentions  it:  This  king,  under  whom 
Jesus  Christ  was  born,  possessed  Idumea,  Ju- 
dea,  Samaria,  Perea,  Galilee,  Peneadis,  Gaul- 
onitis,  Batanea,  Trachonitis,  Auranitis,  and 
Abilene. 

5.  When  he  died  he  divided  all  his  dominions 
among  his  three  sons,  Archelaus,  Herod  Anti- 
pas,  and  Philip.  He  gave  Archelaus  the  king- 
dom which  contained  Idumea,  Judea,  and  Sa- 
maria. He  gave  Herod  Galilee  and  Perea, 
under  the  name  of  a  tetrarchy  ;  which  was  a 
dignity  that  held  a  fourth  place  in  the  Roman 
empire,  after  emperors,  proconsuls,  and  kings. 
And  Philip  had  Gaulonitis,  Trachonitis,Batanea, 
and  Paneadis,  with  the  same  title.  This  is  J ose- 
phus's  account  of  it  ;  but  St.  Luke  makes  Iturea 
a  part  of  Philip's  tetrarchy.  Perhaps  J osephus 
confounds  Iturea  and  Auranitis  under  the  gene- 
ral name  of  Paneadis.  Herod  likewise  gave 
Salome,  his  sister,  the  cities  of  Jamnia,  Azotus, 
and  Phazealis. 

As  soon  as  Herod  was  dead  Archelaus  was 
proclaimed  king  :  and  the  fear  that  the  new 
king  was  of  the  same  opinion,  with  relation  to 
the  child  Jesus,  as  his  father  had  been,  made 
Joseph  and  Mary  retire  to  Nazareth,  upon  their 
return  from  Egypt,  Matt,  ii,  22,  23. 


TSIEIR  MEASUREMENT  GF  TIME.  281 


CHAPTER  III. 

Of  the  different  Ways  of  measuring  Time  among 
the  Hebrews  : — Their  Hours^  Days^  Weeks^ 
JVIonths,  Yeai^Sy  and  Jubilee. 

God,  who  formed  the  republic  of  the  He- 
brews, appointed  certain  fixed  and  regular  times 
for  the  performance  of  things,  without  which  all 
would  necessarily  have  run  into  disorder  and 
confusion.  And  this  appointment  was  the  more 
necessary,  in  that  he  prescribed  the  performance 
of  certain  sacrifices  and  festivals  ;  both  which 
he  fixed  to  certain  days.  But  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  form  a  clear  notion  of  them,  if  we 
knew  not  the  manner  in  which  the  Hebrews 
regulated  and  measured  time.  For  though  all 
people  make  use  of  almost  the  same  terms,  yet 
these  terms  have  very  different  significations  ; 
so  that  our  hours,  days,  months,  and  years,  are 
very  different  from  those  of  the  Hebrews  ;  and 
we  shall  therefore  in  this  chapter  speak,  first, 
of  days;  secondly,  of  weeks  ;  thirdly,  of  months  ; 
fourthly,  of  years. 

First,  of  days.  Time  is  the  measure  of  the 
duration  of  things  ;  which  duration  we  judge  of 
by  the  relation  it  bears  to  the  course  of  the 
planets  ;  that  is,  we  say  a  thing  has  had  a  longer 
or  shorter  duration,  in  proportion  as  certain 
planets  have  made  more  or  fewer  revolutions 
during  its  subsistence.  The  time  in  which  the 
19 


282        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

earth  revolves  round  its  own  axis  from  west  to 
east  is  termed  a  day.  But  some  begin  the  day 
at  noon,  others  at  midnight  ;  some  at  sunrising, 
and  others  at  sunset.  The  Hebrews  follow  this 
last  method  ;  that  is  to  say,  with  them  the  day 
begins  at  sunset,  and  ends  the  next  day  at  the 
same  time,  Exod.  xii,  18  ;  Lev.  xxiii,  32.* 
Whence  it  is  that  we  read  in  the  Gospels, 
that  the  sick  were  not  brought  out  to  Jesus 
Christ,  on  the  Sabbath  days,  till  after  sunset, 
Matt,  viii,  16  ;  Mark  i,  32  ;  which  was  be- 
cause the  Sabbath  was  then  ended,  and  the 
Jews,  who  were  scrupulously  exact  in  observ- 
ing it,  were  no  longer  afraid  of  any  violation 
of  it. 

And  it  was  likewise  customary  with  the  He- 
brews, to  express  a  whole  day  by  the  terms,  the 
evening  and  the  mornings  Gen.  i,  5,  8,  13,  19, 
23,  31  ;  or  by  these,  the  night  and  the  day  : 
which  the  Greeks  express  by  their  JVuchtheme- 
ron,  and  which  as  well  signifies  any  particular 
part  of  the  day  or  night,  as  the  whole  of  it. 
And  this  is  the  reason  why  a  thitig  that  has  lasted 
two  nights  and  one  whole  day,  and  a  part  only 
of  the  preceding  and  following  days,  is  said  by 
the  Hebrews  to  have  lasted  three  days  and  three 
nights.  Matt,  xii,  40. 

It  is  with  time  as  with  places,  with  respect  to 

*  Prom  which  last  text  it  is  evident  that  the  Sabbalh 
began  at  the  evening  or  sunset  of  the  day  we  term 
Friday^  and  ended  at  the  Same  time  on  the  following 
day. 


THEIR  MEASUREMENT  OF  TIME.  283 

its  division  :  it  is  purely  arbitrary.  Formerly 
ihe  Hebrews  and  Greeks  divided  the  day  only 
according  to  the  three  sensible  differences  of 
|the  sun,  when  it  rises,  when  it  is  at  the  highest 
I  point  of  elevation  above  the  horizon,  and  w"hen 
)it  sets;  that  is,  they  divided  the  day  only  into 
jmorning,  noon,  and  night.  And  these  are  the 
ionly  parts  of  a  day  which  we  find  mentioned  in 
jthe  Old  Testament;  the  day  not  being  yet 
I  divided  into  twenty-four  hours.  Since  that,  the 
Jews  and  Romans  divided  the  day,  that  is,  the 
space  between  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun, 
into  four  parts,  consisting  each  of  three  hours. 
But  these  hours  were  different  from  ours  in 
this,  that  ours  are  always  equal,  being  always 
the  four-and-twentieth  part  of  the  day  ;  whereas 
with  them  the  hour  was  a  twelfth  part  of  the 
time  which  the  sun  continues  above  the  horizon. 
And  as  this  time  is  longer  in  summer  than  in 
winter,  their  summer  hours  must  therefore  be 
longer  than  their  winter  ones.  The  first  hour 
began  at  sunrising,  noon  was  the  sixth,  and 
the  twelfth  ended  at  sunset.  The  third  hour 
divided  the  space  between  sunrising  and  noon  ; 
the  nintK  divided  that  which  was  between  noon 
and  sunset.  And  it  is  with  relation  to  this  divi- 
sion of  the  day  that  Jesus  Christ  says  in  the 
Gospel,  "  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the 
day  ?"  John  xi,  9. 

The  Hebrews  likewise  distinguished  between 
two  evenings.  The  first  began  at  noon,  when 
the  sun  begins  to  decline,  and  reached  to  its 
setting  ;  the  second  began  at  that  setting  ;  and 


284        MANNERS  OP  THE  ISHAELITES. 

they  call  the  space  of  time  between  these  two|r 
that  is,  from  noon  to  sunset,*  Been  Haarbaeem^\ 
that   is,  between   the  tivo  evenings,  Exodus  | 

xii,  6.t  j 
The  night  was  hkewise  divided  by  the  He- 
brews into  four  parts.  These  were  called 
watches,  and  lasted  each  three  hours.  The 
first  is  called  by  Jeremiah  the  beginning  of  the 
watches.  Lam.  ii,  19;  the  second  is  called  in 
the  book  of  Judges  the  middle  watch,  Judg.  vii, 
1 9  ;  because  it  lasted  till  the  middle  of  the 
night.  The  beginning  of  the  third  watch  was  at 
midnight,  and  it  lasted  till  three  in  the  morning  ; 
and  the  fourth,  Matt.  x\v,  25,  was  called  the^ 
morning  watch,  Exod.  xiv,  24.  The  first  of 
these  four  parts  of  the  night  began  at  sunset,  and 
lasted  till  nine  at  night,  according  to  our  way 
of  reckoning  ;  the  second  lasted  till  midnight  ; 
the  third  till  three  in  the  morning;  and  the  fourth 
ended  at  sunrising.  The  Scripture  sometimes 
gives  them  other  names  ;  it  calls  the  first  the 
evening,  the  second  midnight,  the  third  cock- 
crowing,  and  the  fourth  the  morning,  Marl^ 

xiii,  35.  ^ 
Secondly.  The  Hebrews,  like  us,  make  their 

weeks  to  consist  of  seven  days,  six  of  which 
are  appointed  for  labour  ;  but  they  were  not 
sufiered  to  do  any  work  on  the  seventh  day, 

*  Or  rather,  the  ninth  hour^  which  is  the  middle  point 
between  them,  is  what  they  called  between  the  evenings, 
(Lanfiy,  de  Tabern.  1.  7,  c.  7,  sec.  1.) 

f  D^D'^J^n  Vl  ^^^^  /?aar6ffc em  improperly  translated 
in  the  ev eni7\ g  iw  our  English  Bibles. 


DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK. 


285 


which  was  therefore  called  the  Sabbath^  that  is, 
a  day  of  rest. 

The  observation  of  the  Sabbath  began  with 
the  world.  God,  after  he  had  employed  six 
days  in  making  the  universe  out  of  nothing, 
rested  the  seventh  day,  and  therefore  appointed 
it  to  be  a  day  of  rest^  Gen.  ii,  2,  3.  But  this 
term  Sabbath  is  likewise  sometimes  taken  for 
the  whole  week.  And  from  hence  it  is,  that  the 
Pharisee,  when  he  would  express  his  fasting 
twice  in  a  week,  says  that  he  fasted  twice  every 
Sabbath* 

The  days  of  the  week  have  no  other  names 
but  those  of  their  order,  the  first,  second,  third, 
&c,  from  the  Sabbath  ;  and  therefore  as  the 
Hebrews  express  one  and  the  first  by  the 
same  word,  una  sabbati  i«  with  them  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  But  nevertheless  the  Helle- 
nist Jews  have  a  particular  name  for  the  sixth 
day,  that  is,  for  the  vigil  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
call  it  paraskeue,  that  is,  the preparation.'f 

But  beside  this  tveek  of  days^  the  Hebrews 
had  another  week,  which  consisted  of  seven 
years  ;  the  last  of  which  was  a  year  of  rest,  and 
was  called  the  Sabbatical  year.  The  earth 
'ested  on  this  year,  and  no  one  was  suffered  to 
cultivate  it.  And  at  the  end  of  seven  weeks  of 
i/?ars,  that  is,  after  forty-nine  years,  the  forty- 
ninth  year  was  called  the  year  of  jubilee. 
Some  think  it  was  the  fiftieth  year,  but  they  are 

*  Luke  xviii,  12.   vrj^evu)  6iç  rov  aaSSarov, 
I  Mark  XV,  42.  TlapaaKSvrif  0  Cft  •npuaa66aTOVt 


286        MANNERS.  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

mistaken.  It  is  true,  that  according^o  the  com- 
mon manner  of  speaking  in  the  Scripture,  the 
year  jubilee  is  the  fiftieth  year;  as  the  Sab* 
bath  day^  is  called  the  eighth  day^  that  is, 
reckoning  from  one  Sabbath  to  another,  inclu- 
sively of  both.  And  in  the  same  manner  the 
Olympiads,  which  contained  the  space  of  four 
years,  are  called  quinquennium,  the  space  of 
five  years  ;  because  by  one  Olympiad  was  ordi- 
narily understood  the  space  contained  between 
the  two  Olympiads,  with  which  it  began  and 
ended,  reckoning  the  beginning  of  the  latter  as  : 
included  in  the  former.  j 
Thirdly.  It  is  certain  that  at  first  the( 
months  were  regulated  by  the  moon  ;  because 
the  intervals  of  time  are  most  easily  distin- 
guished by  the  course  of  this  planet.  When  it 
is  before  the  sun,  it  is  as  it  were  swallowed  up 
in  its  rays  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  separate 
from  it,  its  crescent  begins  to  show  itself,  and 
increases  insensibly,  till  at  last  its  whole  disk 
becomes  luminous,  and  then  it  is  at  full  ;  after 
which  its  light  diminishes,  and  returns  through 
the  same  phases  to  its  first  crescent,  and  then 
it  re-enters  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

And  as  the  moon  regulates  the  months,  spj 
does  the  sun  the  year  ;  and  the  division  whici 
we  make  of  the  year  into  twelve  months  has  ul> 
relation  to  the  motion  of  the  moon.  But  it  w^s 
not  so  with  the  Hebrews  :  their  months  are  III" 
nar,  and  their  name  sufficiently  shows  it.  Thjby 
call  them  Yarchin,  which  comes  from  Yatàc, 
which  signifies  the  moon.    It  is  disputed,  Vlie- 


MONTHS  OF  THE  YEAR.  287 

ther  the  antediluvian  months  were  not  rather 
regulated  by  the  sun  ;  that  is,  whether  they 
were  not  all  equal,  so  that  each  contained  the 
twelfth  part  of  a  year  ;  but  learned  men  are 
agreed  that  from  the  time  of  Moses  the  Jewish 
months  have  been  lunar.  They  do  not  reckon 
the  beginning  of  them  from  the  time  that  the 
moon  joins  the  sun,  because  that  planet  then 
disappears  ;  but  they  begin  it  at  her  first  'pha- 
565, as  soon  as  upon  her  separation  from  the  sun 
she  first  shows  herself  in  the  west,  after  sunset. 
And  for  this  reason  they  call  the  beginning  of 
the  month,  the  new  moon  ;  though  the  Latin 
interpreter,  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  Ro- 
man style,  calls  it  the  calends.^  The  moment 
in  which  this  conjunction  between  the  sun  and 
moon  is  made,  can  only  be  known  by  an  astro- 
nomical calculation,  because  she  does  not  then 
appear  ;  and  because  the  Hebrews  were  little 
skilled  in  this  science,  especially  at  the  first 
forming  of  their  republic,  God  therefore  com- 
mands them  to  begin  their  months  at  the  first 
phases^  or  first  appearance  of  the  moon,  which 
required  no  learning  to  discover  it.  And  be- 
cause this  first  appearance  of  the  moon  was  of 
importance  in  their  religion,  God  having  com- 
manded that  the  neiv  moon  should  be  a  festival, 
and  that  they  should  ofTer  up  a  particular  sacri- 
fice to  him  on  that  day.  Numb,  xxviii,  11  ;  it 
cannot  therefore  be  improper  to  give  some 

*  Numb.  X,  10.  Siquando  habebitis  epulum  et  dies 
festos  et  calendas,  &c.   See  the  Vulgate. 


^8         MANNERS  0£'  XHE  ISRAELITES. 

account  here  of  the  care  the  Hebrews  took  ia 
discover  this  new  moon. 

And  in  the  first  place,  this  was  an  affair  in 
which  the  great  sanhedrim  was  concerned  : 
there  were  always  some  of  that  body  who 
applied  themselves  to  astronomy  ;  and  the  dif- 
ferent phases  of  the  moon  were  likewise  painted 
upon  the  hall  in  which  the  sanhedrim  assembled. 
And  in  the  second  place,  it  belonged  to  them  to 
choose  men  of  the  strictest  probity,  who  were 
sent  to  the  tops  of  the  neighbouring  mountains 
at  the  time  of  the  conjunction  ;  and  who  no 
sooner  perceived  the  neid  moon,  but  they  came 
with  all  speed,  even  on  the  Sabbath  day  itself, 
to  acquaint  the  sanhedrim  with  it.  It  was  the 
business  of  that  council  to  examine  whether 
the  moon  had  appeared,  and  to  declare  it; 
which  was  done  by  pronouncing  these  words, 
The  feast  of  the  new  moon,  the  feast  of  the  new 
moon;  and  all  the  people  were  informed  of  it 
by  the  sound  of  trumpets.  To  which  ceremony 
David  alludes  when  he  says,  "  Blow  the  trum- 
pet in  the  new  moon,  in  the  time  appointed,  on! 
our  solemn  feast  day,"  Psalm  Ixxxi,  3.  The  air 
is  so  serene  in  Judea,  that  it  seldom  happened 
that  the  clouds  hid  the  moon  :  but  when  it  did 
so  happen,  the  error  it  occasioned  was  immedi- 
ately rectified,  and  not  suffered  to  pass  into  the 
next  month.  The  decrees  of  the  sanhedrim, 
on  this  as  well  as  on  other  occasions,  were  so 
revered,  that  the  Jews  say  they  ought  to  be 
obeyed,  even  when  they  are  mistaken. 

From  what  has  been  said  of  the  course  of  the 


OF  THE  NEW  MOONS* 


^289 


moon,  it  appears  that  there  are  two  sorts  of 
months  ;  the  one,  which  is  regulated  by  the 
circle  which  the  moon  describes,  and  lakes  up 
twentj-seven  days,  seven  hours,  and  some 
minutes,  which  is  called  the  pey^iodical  month  ; 
and  another,  which  is  measured  by  the  space 
betw^een  two  conjunctions  of  the  moon  with  the 
sun,  which  is  called  the  synodical  month,  and 
consists  of  twenty-nine  days,  twelve  hours, 
forty-four  minutes,  and  some  seconds.  This 
last  is  the  most  popular  and  only  in  use  ;  be- 
cause the  phases  of  the  moon  are  most  pro- 
per to  distinguish  the  beginning,  middle,  and 
end  of  it.  The  hours  which  exceed  nine 
and  twenty  days,  make  the  months  alternately 
one  of  nine  and  twenty  days,  and  one  of  thirty. 
Formerly  the  sanhedrim  settled  the  number  of 
days  in  each  month  ;  but  now  the  Jews  follow 
the  common  calculation,  and  their  months  are 
one  of  nine  and  twenty  days,  and  another  of 
thirty. 

Fourthly.  Nothing  now  remains  upon  this 
subject,  but  to  speak  of  the  Jewish  year.  Con- 
cerning which  I  shall  not  enter  into  the  dispute 
whether  they  used  the  solar,  or  the  lunar  one, 
because  it  is  certain  that  they  were  both  in  use 
among  them.  I  only  observe,  that  they  took  a 
very  particular  care  that  the  first  month  of  their 
sacred  year,  that  is,  of  the  year  whereby  their 
festivals  and  religion  were  regulated,  did  never 
expire  before  the  equinox  ;  and  that,  without 
this  precaution,  they  would  have  solemnized 
the  same  festivals  twice  in  the  same  solar  year. 


290  *     MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

So  that  the  equinox  was  a  fixed  point  which  the 
Jews  made  use  of  to  regulate  their  years  by  ; 
and  they  did  it  in  this  manner  : — 

The  two  equinoxes  began  each  adifferentyear. 
The  new  moon,  which  followed  the  autumnal 
equinox,  after  the  fruits  were  gathered  in,  began 
the  civil  year  ;  the  common  opinion  concerning 
which  is,  that  the  world  was  created  in  this  sea- 
son, and  this  was  formerly  the  first  month  in  the 
Jewish  year.  But  after  the  Jews  came  out  of 
Egypt,  Moses,  to  preserve  the  memory  of  their 
dehverance,  commanded  that  the  month  in 
which  that  deliverance  was  wrought  (which  was 
in  the  time  when  the  earth  opens  her  bosom, 
and  all  things  begin  to  bud)  should  have  the 
first  rank  ;  and  by  this  means  the  vernal  equi- 
nox began  a  second  year,  which  was  called  the 
sacred,  or  the  ecclesiastical  year.  But  though 
these  years  have  different  beginnings,  yet  they 
both  consist  of  twelve  months,  which  are  accord- 
ing to  their  order  called,  the  first,  second,  third, 
&c.  And  formerly  there  was  none  of  them 
had  any  particular  name,  but  the  two  equinoctial 
ones,  and  they  were  called,  the  vernal  one,  Mib^ 
which  signifies  a  green  ear  of  corn  :  and  the 
autumnal  one,  Ethanim.  But  about  the  time 
of  the  captivity,  each  month  had  a  particular 
name.  The  names  were  these  :  the  first  month, 
formerly  called  Mib,  was  called  JVisan  ;  the 
second,  lyar  ;  the  third,  Sivan  ;  the  fourth, 
Tamuz  ;  the  fifth,  Ab;  the  sixth,  Elul  ;  the 
seventh,  Tisri;  the  eighth,  Marchesvan  ;  the 
ninth,  Cisleii  ;  the  tenth,  Tebeih  ;  the  eleventhi 


OF  THE  JEWISH  YEAR. 


291 


Shebai  ;  the  twelfth,  Jldar,  Nevertheless  there 
were  some  years  in  which  they  added  a  thir- 
teenth month,  which  was  called  Veadar,  or  the 
second  Adar.  Nor  were  the  planets  only 
made  use  of  to  distinguish  time  ;  it  was  like- 
wise distinguished  by  the  different  seasons 
which  succeeded  one  another,  as  well  as  by 
them.  After  the  earth  has  closed  up  her  bosom 
in  the  winter,  she  opens  it  in  the  spring,  and 
brings  forth  herbs  ;  and  then,  during  the  sum- 
mer, the  sun  warms  it,  thereby  to  ripen  the  corn 

Sd  fruits,  that  they  may  be  gathered  in  before 
e  return  of  the  winter.  Which  difference  of 
the  seasons  arises  from  the  sun's  nearness 
to,  or  distance  from  our  tropic,  according  to 
which,  it  continues  more  or  less  time  above  the 
horizon. 

But,  that  all  this  may  be  the  better  under- 
stood, it  is  necessary  that  we  briefly  explain  the 
first  principles  of  the  sphere.  Between  the 
poles  of  the  world  the  astronomers  have  feigned 
a  circle,  which  cuts  the  sphere  into  two  equal 
parts,  and  to  which  they  give  the  name  of  the 
equinoctial.  And  at  a  certain  distance  from 
this  they  have  made  another  line  on  each  side 
of  it,  which  they  call  the  tropics  ;  to  which  they 
add  a  fourth,  which  they  draw  from  one  of  these 
tropics  to  the  other,  and  which  cuts  the  equi- 
nociial  obliquely  in  two  opposite  points  ;  and 
this  they  call  the  zodiac.  And  upon  this  zo- 
diac they  have  marked  out  four  principal  points; 
two  in  the  places  where  it  touches  the  tropics^ 
and  the  other  two  in  its  sections  of  the  equinoc- 


292 


MANNÈRS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


liai  ;  and  by  this  means  they  explain  the  length 
of  the  year,  the  difference  of  the  seasons,  and 
the  inequality  of  days  and  nights.  For  the  year 
is  nothing  else  but  the  space  of  time  which  the 
sun  takes  up  in  running  through  ilie  zodiac» 
When  it  is  at  the  points  which  cut  the  eqiiinoc- 
tial  the  days  and  nights  are  equal,  and  we  then 
have  spring  or  autumn.  When  it  advances  to- 
ward our  pole,  and  comes  to  our  tropic,  we  then 
have  summer  ;  and  when  it  returns  back,  and, 
repassing  the  equinoctial,  otherwise  called  the 
line,  comes  to  the  other  tropic,  we  then  have 
ivinttr.  Of  these  four  points,  the  two  which 
touch  the  tropics  are  called  solstices,  and  those 
which  cut  the  equinoctial  are  called  equinoxes. 

The  ancient  astronomers  thought  that  the 
sun  took  up  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
and  six  hours  :  w  hich  six  hours  they  joined  to- 
gether every  fourth  year,  and  making  a  day  of 
them,  inserted  it  in  the  month  of  February. 
And  the  first  day  of  the  month  was  then  by  the 
Romans  called  tJie  calends;  and  they  reckon- 
ing backward,  into  the  days  of  the  preceding 
month,  called  them  thQ  first,  second^  third,  &c, 
of  the  calends.  And  this  additional  day  being- 
made  the  sixth  of  the  calends  of  jVEarch,  and 
they  reckoning  on  these  years  two  sixths  days 
of  these  calends,  this  was  the  reason  why  the 
years,  in  which  these  additional  days  were  in- 
serted, were  called  bissextile.  So  that  every 
four  years  the  month  of  February,  which  ordi- 
narily consisted  of  twenty-eight  days,  had  a 
day  added  to  it,  and  was  made  to  consist  of 


OF  THE  JEWISH  YEAR. 


293 


twenty-nine.  But  the  astronomers  of  latter 
ages,  having  made  more  exact  observations, 
have  found  that  the  year  was  not  so  long  by 
eleven  minutes  :  a  difference  which,  how  incon- 
siderable soever  it  may  appear,  did  yet  intro- 
duce a  confusion  in  the  seasons  of  the  year  in 
a  succession  of  several  ages.  So  that  the  ver- 
nal  equinox,  which,  at  the  time  of  the  council 
of  Nice,  fell  on  the  20th  or  21st  day  of  March, 
was  found  to  fall,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  on 
the  tenth  or  eleventh.  For,  the  reason  why 
the  equinox  at  any  time  advances  or  goes  back 
a  day,  is  the  difference  between  the  bissextile 
and  the  common  year.  And  in  order  therefore 
to  put  a  stop  to  this  disorder,  which  in  time 
would  have  thrown  back  the  month  of  Jl'priU  in 
which  nature  awakes,  and  begins  to  dress  her- 
self in  her  vernal  ornaments,  into  the  midst  of 
winter,  the  calendar  was  reformed  about  the 
end  of  the  fifteenth  century,*  and  by  retrench- 
ing ten  days,  the  equinoxes  were  brought  back 
to  the  same  points  they  were  at,  at  the  council 
of  Nice.  And  they  have  likewise  retrenched 
one  bissextile  every  hundred  years,  (which  ne- 
vertheless continues  to  be  ordinarily  placed 
every  fourth  year  as  before,)  because  that,  in 
the  space  of  four  centuries,  the  eleven  minutes 
every  year  (as  above  mentioned)  are  so  far 
from  making  four  complete  days,  that  they 
make  but  little  more  than  three  ;  and  by  this 

*  This  was  done  in  the  year  1512,  durins:  the  pontifi- 
rate  of  Gregory  Xlf,  therefore  callud  the  Gre^nrian^  or 
J^tw  Style, 


294  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

means  the  points  of  the  equinoxes  are  so  fixed 
for  the  future,  that  they  can  never  vary  again. 
The  reader  will,  I  hope,  pardon  this  digression 
which  I  make,  because  it  may  be  doubtless  of 
some  assistance  to  those  who  have  not  tho- 
roughly studied  these  matters. 

Let  us  now  see  by  what  means  the  Jews  re- 
gulated their  year  so  exactly  that  its  first  month 
always  came  in  the  spring.  There  were  two 
reasons  that  engaged  them  to  be  extremely  ex- 
act in  this  matter  :  the  one  of  which  was,  that 
the  law  obliged  them  to  offer  up  to  God  a  sheaf 
of  ripe  barley,  or  at  least  of  such  as  was  pretty 
nearly  ripe,  in  this  first  month  ;  asd  the  other 
was,  that  the  passover,  which  fell  on  the  four- 
teenth day  of  this  month,  could  not  be  cele- 
brated without  oflTering  up  an  infinite  number 
of  lambs,  which  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  have  had  in  winter.  And  it  was  therefore 
necessary  that  this  first  month,  in  v/hich  the 
feast  of  the  passover  was  celebrated,  should 
not  be  entirely  passed  before  the  vernal  equi- 
noxy  and  that  it  should  always  fall  in  the  same 
season  of  the  year. 

In  the  mean  time,  twelve  lunar  months  make 
but  three  hundred  and  fifty-four  days,  eight 
hours,  forty-nine  minutes,  and  some  seconds. 
And  consequently  this  year  must  be  shorter 
than  the  solar  one  by  eleven  days,  some  hours, 
and  some  minutes.  But  it  has  been  already 
said,  that  the  Jews  regulated  their  months  by 
the  phases  of  the  moon,  and  not  by  any  astro- 
nomical calculations.     And  when  therefore 


OF  THE  JEWISH  YEAR.  295 

their  twelfth  month  was  ended,  and  they  found 
that  their  spring  was  not  yet  come,  the  next 
new  moon  was  not  made  to  belong  to  the  first 
month,  but  to  a  thirteenth  which  they  inserted, 
and  therefore  called  the  intercalary  month. 
And  this  they  did  so  exactly,  that  the  full  of  the 
moon  of  the  month  JSlsan  never  came  before 
the  equinox^  that  is,  before  the  day  when  the 
sun,  entering  the  first  degree  of  Aries^  makes 
the  days  and  nights  equal. 

But  that  I  may  give  all  the  necessary  light 
that  is  wanting  in  this  affair,  I  shall  observe, 
that  the  Jews  have  four  sorts  of  years,  or  rather, 
that  each  year  has  four  beginnings.  That  of 
the  civil  year  was  in  the  month  I'isri  ;  that  of 
the  sacred  year,  in  the  month  JVisan  ;  that  of  the 
tithe  of  ilie  cattle,  in  the  month  Elul,  that  is  to 
say,  according  to  the  rabbins,  that  they  began 
from  this  month  to  take  an  account  of  all  the 
cattle  which  were  born,  that  they  might  offer 
the  tithe  of  them  to  God,  Lev.  xxvii,  32  ;  and 
lastly,  that  of  trees,  which  was  on  the  first  or 
fifteenth  of  the  month  Shebat,  For  the  same 
rabbins  likewise  say,  that  the  law  having  com- 
manded that  the  fruit  of  a  tree  newly  planted 
should  not  be  eaten  of  till  after  three  years, 
Lev.  xix,  23,  because  the  tree  was,  till  that 
time,  thought  unclean  ;  it  is  from  the  last  men- 
tioned month  that  they  began  to  reckon  this 
sort  of  year. 

What  I  have  said  concerning  these  four  dis- 
tinctions, relates  only  to  the  common  year  of 
the  Jews,  which,  as  has  been  said,  consisted 


296         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

of  twelve  or  thirteen  lunar  months.  But  be- 
side this  year,  they  had  a  second,  (as  has  also 
been  already  observed,)  which  consisted  of 
seven  years,  and  was  called  Sabbatical,  On 
this  year  the  Jews  were  not  permitted  to  culti- 
vate the  earth.  They  neither  ploughed,  nor 
sowed,  nor  pruned  their  vines  ;  and  if  the  earth 
brought  forth  any  thing  of  its  own  accord,  these 
spontaneous  fruits  did  not  belong  to  the  master 
of  the  ground,  but  were  common  to  all,  and 
every  man  might  gather  them.  So  that  the 
Jews  were  obliged  during  the  six  years,  and 
more  especially  in  the  last  of  them,  wherein 
they  cultivated  the  earth,  to  lay  up  provisions 
enough  to  last  from  the  end  of  the  sixth  year 
to  the  ninth,  in  which  was  their  first  harvest 
after  the  Sabbatical  year.  Lev.  xxv,  W7. 

And  as  seven  common  years  made  the  Sab- 
batical year,  so  did  seven  Sabbatical  years 
make  a  third  sort  of  year  among  them,  which 
was  called  the  year  of  jubilee. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Of  the  Jewish  Sacrifices  : — Their  different 
kinds,  and  their  different  Ceremonies  : — and 
of  their  Offerings,  Gifts,  First  Fruits,  atid 
Tenths, 

Sacrificing  is  the  offering  up  to  God  a 
living  animal,  whose  blood  is  shed  in  adoration 
of  his  majesty,  and  in  order  to  appease  hi-^ 


THEIR  SACRIFICES.  297 

wrath.  All  the  different  religions  in  the  world 
agree  in  this  point,  and  have  had  the  same 
ideas  of  sacrifice  ;  which  uniformity  of  opinion 
is  very  surprising.  From  whence  could  it  be, 
that  all  people  should  thus  universally  agree, 
that  the  blood  of  an  animal  has  these  two  great 
properties  ?  or  how  could  it  come  to  pass,  that 
the  use  of  sacrifices  should  thus  universally 
prevail  among  men?  It  is  commonly  said  in- 
deed, that  this  was  a  fond  conceit,  which  owes 
its  rise  to  the  barbarity  of  the  Gentiles  ;  and 
some  think,  that  as  to  the  Jews,  they  borrowed 
this  custom  from  the  Egyptians,  and  that  it 
pleased  God  to  leave  them  to  the  worship  they 
had  seen  in  Egypt,  he  being  content  with  bare- 
ly reforming  it.  But  can  it  be  believed,  that 
God  would  borrow  the  manner  of  his  worship 
from  a  people  that  was  superstitious,  and  at 
enmity  with  him  1  No  :  the  origin  of  sacri- 
fices is  to  be  dated  much  higher.  It  is  derived 
from  the  patriarchs,*  from  Abel,  from  Noah, 
and  from  Abraham,  who  all  offered  sacrifices, 
which  the  Scripture  testifies  were  acceptable  to 
God. 

It  may  be  said,  that  all  people  had  this  idea 
of  a  sacrifice  ;  they  all  pretended  to  substitute 
the  soul  of  the  beast,  which  is  the  blood,  in 
room  of  the  criminal  soul  of  the  sinner.  "  The 
law  of  sacrifices,  (says  Eusebius,  DemonsL 
Evang,  lib.  i,  c.  10,)  manifestly  shows  it;  for 

*  Probably  from  Adam  himself,  who  was  clothed 
with  the  skins  of  beasts,  which  were  most  probably 
Jtlain  in  sacrifice,  Gen.  iii,  21.  (De  Tab,  1.  3,  c.  7,  sec.  1.) 
20 


298        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES, 

it  commands  all  those  who  offer  sacrifices  to 
put  their  hand  upon  the  heads  of  the  victims  ; 
and  when  they  lead  the  animal  to  the  priests, 
they  lead  it  by  the  head,  as  it  were  to  substitute 
it  thereby  in  the  room  of  their  own."  And 
upon  this  is  founded  the  law  which  forbids  the 
eating  of  blood  :  which  God  himself  explains 
very  clearly  in  the  reason  he  gives  for  this  pro- 
hibition :  "  For,"  says  he,  "  the  life  of  the  flesh 
is  in  the  blood,  and  I  have  given  it  to  you  upon 
the  altar,  to  make  an  atpnement  for  your  souls  ; 
for  it  is  the  blood  that  maketh  an  atonement  for 
the  soul,"  Lev.  xvii,  11.  And  if  then  it  be 
true,  that  God  himself  commanded  the  patri- 
archs to  offer  sacrifices  to  him,  and  if  he  looked 
on  the  blood  that  was  shed  in  them,  as  the  es- 
sence of  the  sacrifice,  who  can  doubt  but  that 
this  was  done  with  a  view  to  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  which  was  one  day  to  be  shed  for  the 
redemption  of  the  universe  ?  Adam  was  no 
sooner  fallen  into  sin,  but  God  promised  him 
One  who  should  make  an  atonement  for  his 
sin  ;  and  as  this  atonement  must  be  made  by 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  pleased  him  that 
the  patriarchs,  and  afterward  his  own  people, 
should  give  types  of  this  great  sacrifice  in  those 
of  their  victims  ;  and  from  hence  they  drew  all 
their  virtue.  "  While  men  (says  the  same  Eu- 
sebius)  had  no  victim  that  was  more  excellent, 
more  precious,  and  more  worthy  of  God,  ani- 
mals became  the  price  and  ransom  of  their 
souls.  And  their  substituting  these  animals  in 
their  own  room,  bore  indeed  some  affinity  to 


THEIR  SACRIFICES. 


299 


their  suffering  themselves  ;  in  which  sense  it  is 
that  all  these  ancient  worshippers  and  friends 
of  God  made  use  of  them.  The  Holy  Spirit  had 
taught  them,  that  there  should  one  day  come 
a  victim  more  venerable,  more  holy,  and  more 
worthy  of  God.  He  had  likewise  instructed 
them  how  to  point  him  out  to  the  world  by  types 
and  shadows.  And  thus  they  became  prophets^ 
and  were  not  ignorant  of  their  having  been 
chosen  out  to  represent  to  mankind  the  things 
which  God  resolved  one  day  to  accomplish." 

So  that  the  first  thing  we  must  suppose,  in 
order  to  explain  the  sacrifices  of  the  ancient 
law,  is,  that  they  were  established  only  that 
they  might  typify  that  sacrifice  which  Jesus 
Christ  was  to  ofier  up.  Unless  we  are  prepos- 
sessed with  this  truth,  we  can  look  on  the 
tabernacle  and  temple  of  Jerusalem  only  a» 
slaughter  houses,  whose  victims,  blood,  and  fat, 
are  more  proper  to  inspire  disgust  than  religion.- 
And  God  himself  testifies  the  distaste  he  had 
for  this  immolation  of  animals,  as  soon  as  the 
Jews  came  to  consider  and  practise  it  without 
a  view  to  Jesus  Christ.  '*  To  what  purpose," 
says  he  in  Isaiah  i,  11,  "is  the  multitude  of 
your  sacrifices  unto  me  ?  I  am  full  of  the 
burnt  offerings  of  rams,  and  the  fat  of  fed 
beasts  ;  and  I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bul- 
locks, or  of  lambs,  or  of  he-goats."  But  how 
then  could  God  reject  the  sacrifices  which  he 
had  himself  commanded?  Could  that  which 
pleased  him  at  one  time  displease  him  at  ano- 
ther?   No;  we  cannot  charge  him  with  such 


300        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

inconstancy.  But  we  see,  by  his  reproaches?/ 
that  when  he  commanded  the  sacrifices  of  the 
ancient  law,  he  did  it  not  out  of  any  desire  to 
drink  the  blood  of  goats,  or  eat  the  flesh  of 
bulls,  as  David  speaks,  Psalm  1,  13,  but  only 
to  typify  thereby  the  great  and  precious  sacri- 
fice which  his  Son  should  one  day  offer  up  : 
and  that  as  soon  as  these  sacrifices  ceased  to 
be  animated  by  this  spirit,  (as  those  did  which 
the  carnal  Jews  offered,)  they  became  insup- 
portable to  him. 

The  end  of  all  religion  is  sacrifice  ;  and  there 
was  never  any  religion  without  it.  As  to  that 
of  animals,  I  shall  speak  of  it  only  so  far  as  is 
necessary  to  render  those  parts  of  Scripture 
where  they  are  mentioned  intelligible  ;  and 
shall  therefore  here  confine  myself  to  the  ex- 
plaining, 1.  What  these  ancient  sacrifices  were  : 
2.  How  many  sorts  of  animals  were  used  in 
them  :  3.  What  the  manner  of  offering  them 
was  :  4.  What  ceremonies  attended  it  :  5.  Who 
was  the  minister  :  6.  The  place  ;  and  7.  The 
time  for  them  :  8.  How  many  sorts  of  them 
there  were  :  and  9.  What  was  the  manner  of 
partaking  of  them.  All  which  I  shall  endea- 
vour to  do  in  a  very  few  words. 

1.  Sacrificing  is  the  offering  up  an  animal  to 
God,  whereby  his  supreme  majesty  is  acknov/- 
ledged,  sin  expiated,  and  the  Divine  justice 
rendered  propitious.  Man  by  sin  merited 
death  ;  and  in  order  therefore  to  satisfy  in  some 
measure  the  justice  of  God,  he  substituted  ani- 
mals in  his  own  room  ;  whose  blood  neverthe- 


THEIR  SACRIFICES.  301 


less  would  have  no  efficacy  in  blotting  out  sin, 
were  it  not  that  it  was  a  type  of  the  precious 
blood  v/hich  Jesus  Christ  has  since  poured  out 
for  us  on  the  cross,  and  by  which  he  has  recon- 
ciled us  to  his  Father.  So  that  by  the  death 
which  the  victims  suffered,  and  by  the  fire 
which  consumed  them,  were  represented  to 
sinners  the  two  punishments  which  sin  had 
deserved,  namely,  death  and  eternal  fire  ;  and 
sacrifices  were,  at  the  same  time,  both  marks 
of  repentance  and  pledges  of  a  reconciliation. 

2.  There  were  hut  five  sorts  of  animals  which 
could  be  offered  up  in  sacrifice,  and  these  were 
oxen,  sheep,  goats,  turtle  doves,  and  pigeons  ; 
which  are  indeed  the  most  innocent,  the  most 
common,  and  the  most  proper  animals  in  the 
world,  for  the  nourishment  of  men.  And 
among  these,  great  care  was  taken  in  the 
choice  of  such  as  were  designed  for  victims  ; 
for  the  least  defect  that  could  be  discovered  in 
them,  made  them  unworthy  of  God.  "  If  the 
beast  be  blind,  or  broken,  or  maimed,  or  having 
a  wen,  or  scurvy,  or  scabbed,  ye  shall  not  offer 
these  unto  the  Lord,  nor  make  an  offering  by 
fire  of  them  upon  the  altar  unto  the  Lord," 
Lev.  xxii,  22.  Maimonides,  in  his  treatise  on 
this  subject,  {De  Ratione  Sacrif,,)  gives  us  a 
long  enumeration  of  all  the  defects  which  pol- 
lute an  animal  ;  he  reckons  up  fifty  which  are 
common  to  beasts  and  men,  and  three-and- 
twenty  which  are  peculiar  to  beasts  only,  and 
gives  a  sort  of  anatomical  account  of  the  parts 
in  which  they  are  found.    And  what  then  is 


302        IVU-NNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

this  great  purity  which  God  required  in  the 
choice  of  his  victims,  but  another  proof  that 
they  were  only  designed  to  be  the  figures  of  Je- 
sus Christ,  whose  innocence  was  to  be  perfect, 
and  the  hoHness  of  his  sacrifice  infinite. 

3.  He  who  offered  sacrifice  led  up  the  vic- 
tim before  the  altar  ;  laid  both  his  hands,  ac- 
cording to  Maimonides,  [De  Rations  Sacrif,  c. 
iii,  n.  13,)  but  only  one,  according  to  other 
rabbins,  upon  the  head  of  it.  Lev.  i,  4,  upon 
which  he  leaned  ivith  all  his  strength;  and 
while  the  sacrifice  was  offering  up  said  some 
particular  prayers.  If  several  offered  the  same 
victim,  they  put  their  hands  upon  his  head  one 
after  another.  Which  imposition  of  hands  upon 
the  animal  which  they  were  just  going  to  sacri- 
fice, was  to  show  that  they  loaded  him  with 
their  iniquities,  and  that  they  had  deserved  the 
death  which  he  was  going  to  suffer.  And 
hereby  the  victims  of  the  Old  Testament  were 
again  the  types  of  Jesus  Christ,  upon  whom 
was  laid  the  iniquities  of  mankind,  Isaiah  liii, 
6  ;  and  they  were  likewise  thé  symbols  of  re- 
pentance. For  which  reason,  Maimonides  adds, 
(De  Rat,  Sac,  c.  3,)  concerning  the  sin  offer- 
ing, that  if  he  who  offered  it  did  not  repent  and 
make  a  public  confession  of  his  sins,  he  was 
not  cleansed  by  it. 

4.  The  manner  of  killing  the  animal  was 
this  :  they  cut  through  the  throat  and  windpipe 
at  one  stroke  :  and  they  catched  the  blood  in  a 
bason,  which  they  kept  perpetually  stirring 
about,  lest  it  should  coagulate  before  it  had 


HOW  THEY  SACRIFICED.  303 

been  sprinkled  upon  the  vail,  or  the  altar,  or 
other  things,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
sacrifice,  Lev.  iv,  5-7.  What  blood  remained 
after  these  sprinklings,  was  poured  out  at  the 
foot  of  the  altar,  either  all  at  once,  or  at  differ- 
ent times,  according  to  the  kind  of  sacrifice 
that  was  offered.  There  was  round  the  Rltar, 
as  has  been  observed,  a  sort  of  trench,  into 
which  the  blood  fell,  and  from  whence  it  was 
conveyed,  by  subterraneous  channels  into  the 
brook  Cedron  ;  and  this  altar,  which  was  raised 
very  high,  was  a  representation  of  the  cross,  to 
which  Jesus  Christ  was  fixed,  and  which  he 
washed  with  his  precious  blood.  After  these 
aspersions,  they  skinned  the  victim,  and  cut  it 
in  pieces,  and  carried  up  the  parts  of  it  to  the 
altar  in  great  pomp,  by  a  little  hill  or  ascent  to 
it.  The  priests  as  they  went  up  lifted  up  that 
part  of  the  victim  which  they  carried  toward  the 
four  parts  of  the  world.*  Either  the  whole 
victim,  or  some  part  of  it  only,  (according  to 
the  different  sorts  of  sacrifices,)  were  burned 
upon  the  altar,  where  the  priests  maintained  a 
fire  always  burning,  by  taking  care  to  be  per- 
petually laying  fresh  wood  upon  it. 

As  they  went  up  to  the  altar  they  salted  the 
victim  ;  for  the  law  forbad  the  presenting  any 
there  which  was  not  salted  :  and  the  sacrifices 
were  always  attended  with  libations,  which 
were  a  mixture  of  wine  and  flour.  Sometimes 
they  had  cakes  made  of  the  finest  flour,  and  oil, 

*  See  De  Tabern.  1.  7,  c.  7,  sec.  1.  Maimon.  de  Ra- 
tione  Sacrificii,  c.  6,  n.  18. 


304        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

and  incense,  which  were  baked  in  a  pan,  or 
upon  a  gridiron  ;  and  at  other  times  they  had 
such  as  were  only  made  of  parched  wheat.  One 
half  of  these  cakes  was  burnt,  and  the  other 
half  belonged  to  the  priests.  And  all  these 
which  I  have  mentioned,  the  victim,  the  wine,  the 
oil,  ând  the  cake,  are  all  expressed  in  the  single 
word  corbanotli,  that  is,  gifls  offered  io  God; 
and  were  all  either  to  be  consumed,  killed, 
burned,  or  poured  out,  with  the  ceremonies 
which  the  law  prescribes,  or  else  lo  be  reserved 
for  sacred  banquets.  Nevertheless  the  victims 
and  cakes  have  different  names  among  the  He- 
brews ;  the  former  of  which  they  called  zebachim^ 
ihat  is,  sacrifices  ;  and  the  latter  minchay  that 
is,  offeri.%gs.  And  the  cakes  which  were  made 
of  the  flour  of  wheat  or  barley,  and  wine,  were 
called  cakes  of  libation.  All  those  that  were 
offered  at  the  altar  must  first  have  had  some  oil 
poured  upon  them  ;  and  incense  must  likewise 
have  first  been  put  to  them,  as  is  expressly 
commanded  in  Leviticus  ii,  1.  Salt  was  like- 
wise put  in  all  these  cakes  ;  and  this  is  what 
Virgil  calls  salsas  friiges,  for  the  heathen  had 
all  these  ceremonies.  The  cakes  were  burned 
upon  the  altar,  and  the  wine  poured  out  at  the 
foot  of  it  ;  but  it  was  not  lawful  to  put  upon  the 
altar  either  honey  or  leaven. 

6.  As  to  the  ministration  of  the  sacrifice, 
any  one  might  kill  the  victims,  and  skin  them, 
and  cut  them  in  pieces  ;  but  the  other  ceremo- 
nies, as  those  of  catching  the  blood,  and  sprink- 
ling it,  belonged  only  to  the  priests.    And  m 


HOW  THEY  SACRIFICED.  305 

j  this  the  law  is  very  express,  that  he  who  offers 
the  sacrifice,  "shall  kill  it  on  the  side  of  the  altar, 
and  shall  cut  it  in  pieces,  but  that  the  priests, 
the  sons  of  Aaron  shall  sprinkle  the  blood  round 
about  the  altar,"  Lev.  i,  11,  12.  And  it  may 
be  remarked  with  Origen,  that  when  Annas,  Cai- 
aphas,  and  the  other  priests  condemned  Jesus 
Christ  to  death  in  the  sanhedrim,  which  was  in 
the  temple,  they  then,  in  that  place  where  the 
altar  was,  poured  out  the  precious  blood  of  that 
innocent  victim,  to  whom  all  the  sacrifices  of 
the  law  referred. 

6.  Before  the  building  of  the  temple,  the 
sacrifices  were  offered  up  at  the  entrance  into 
the  tabernacle  ;  but  after  that  was  built,  it  was 
not  lawful  to  offer  them  up  any  where  but 
there,  as  is  commanded  by  God  himself  in  Deu- 
teronomy xii,  14  :  and  this  law  took  away  from 
the  Jews  the  liberty  of  sacrificing  in  any  other 
place.  They  might  slay  their  victims  in  any 
part  of  the  priests'  court  that  they  liked,  but  not 
out  of  it  ;  and  they  were  even  obliged  to  sacri- 
fice the  paschal  lamb  here.  And  to  this  pro*- 
bibition  of  sacrificing  any  where  but  in  the  tem- 
ple built  at  Jerusalem,  Jesus  Christ  alluijes, 
when  he  says  in  St.  Luke,  <'  that  it  cannot  be 
that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem,"  Luke 
xiii,  33  :  for  by  this  means,  not  so  much  as  the 
types  of  the  death  of  the  prophet  could  be 
represented  anywhere  but  in  that  city.  Those 
victims  that  were  most  holy  could  only  be 
X)ffered  up  on  the  north  side  of  the  altar. 

7.  As  to  the  time  of  offering  sacrifice,  it 


306         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


could  only  be  done  by  day,  and  the  blood  of 
the  animal  was  always  sprinkled  the  same  day 
that  it  was  killed  ;  for  the  blood  became  pol- 
luted as  soon  as  the  sun  was  down.  But  if  the 
sprinkhng  had  been  made  in  the  daytime,  the 
members  and  entrails  of  the  victim  might  be 
burnt  all  night  long. 

The  morning  sacrifice  was  offered  as  soon 
as  the  day  began  to  break,  before  the  sun  was 
above  the  horizon  :  and  the  evening  one,  as 
soon  as  darkness  began  to  overspread  the  earth. 
The  paschal  lamb  was  offered  between  the  two 
evenings,  that  is  to  say,  at  the  time  when  ihe 
sun  begins  to  decline,  about  the  hour  that  Jesus 
Christ  expired  on  the  cross,  which  answers  to 
our  three  in  the  afternoon. 

8.  We  come  now  to  the  other  sorts  of  sacri- 
fices. One  alone  was  not  sufficient  to  represent 
the  adorable  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
effects  are  infinite  :  and  therefore  it  was  neces- 
sary  the  old  law  should  have  different  sorts  of 
them.  Some  of  them  were  more,  and  some  of 
them  less  holy;  but  they  were  all  either,  1st, 
burnt  offerings,  or  2dly,  sin  offerings,  or  3dly, 
trespass  offerings,  or  4thly,  peace  offerings, — 
Maimonides  reduces  all  the  sacrifices  of  the 
Jews  to  these  four  sorts  ;  which  were  either 
offered  up  by  particular  persons,  or  else  by  the 
whole  people  in  general  :  and  w^e  shall  say 
something  of  each. 

1st.  The  burnt  offering  or  holocaust,  as  the 
word  implies,  is  a  sacrifice  or  victim  which  is 
£ntirely  consumed  by  fire,  together  with  the 


DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SACRIFICES.  307 

intestines  and  feet,  which  they  took  care  to 
wash  before  it  was  offered.  But  it  was  not  so 
with  other  sacrifices  ;  a  part  only  of  them  was 
burnt,  and  the  rest  divided  among  the  priests 
and  the  laymen  who  offered  the  sacrifice.  The 
Hebrews  call  it  /lo/a,  which  signifies  to  rise^ 
because  the  victim  appeared  to  rise  up  to  hea- 
ven in  a  'smoke,  as  an  odour  of  sweet  smell 
before  God.*  It  sometimes  happened,  that 
fire  came  down  from  heaven  and  miraculously 
consumed  the  victim.  The  reader  may  like- 
wise find  an  account  of  the  ceremonies  that 
attended  the  offering  up  the  burnt  offering  in 
Leviticus,  i,  5,  6. 

2dly.  The  second  sort  of  sacrifice  is  called 
a  sin  offering.  And  here  we  may  observe,  that 
the  words  which  St.  Paul  puts  into  the  mouth 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
X,  8,  "  Sacrifice  and  offering,  and  burnt  offer- 
ing, and  offerings  for  sin,  thou  wouldst  not," 
are  not  to  be  understood  of  God's  having  re- 
fused to  accept  of  the  sacrifice  which  Jesus 
Christ  had  offered  him  for  the  sins  of  men,  but 
only  that  God  disliked  all  the  ancient  sacrifices, 
the  oblations,  the  burnt  offerings,  and  the  sin 
offerings,  which  were  made  to  him  under  the 
law.  This  sacrifice  was  likewise  sometimes 
simply  called  sin  ;  and  therefore  when  it  is  said, 
that  Jesus  Christ  "  was  made  sin  for  us,"|  we 

*  n'7j?»  differently  pronounced  olah,  holah,  and  gnolah, 
Lev.  i,  3. 

t  2  Cor.  V,  21.  {fTTcp  r][jL(i)v  àjxapriav  sironjoEv.  The  word 
aiiapTia  is  used  by  the  Septuagint  for  a  sin  offering  m 


308        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


are  to  understand  thereby  that  he  was  made  a 
sin  offering  for  us.  The  Hebrews  understand 
by  the  word  chatah^  {sin,)  any  voluntary  crime, 
or  violation  of  the  law,  which  was  committed 
through  inadvertency,  and  which  God  always 
punished,  unless  it  was  expiated.  And  they 
were  persuaded  that  several  diseases  and  pains, 
as  leprosy,  and  the  pains  of  child  bearing,  were 
punishments  for  some  sin  ;  and  therefore  the 
sacrifices  that  were  offered  by  lepers,  or  women 
after  they  had  lain  in,  are  reckoned  among  the 
sin  offerings. 

3dly.  In  order  to  understand  what  is  meant 
by  the  third  sort  of  sacrifices,  we  must  first 
linow  what  the  Hebrews  meant  by  the  word 
asham,*  which  the  Latin  interpreter  renders 
delictum^  and  signifies  a  trespass^  error,  or 
doubt.  They  offered  this  third  sort  of  sacri- 
fice when  they  had  just  reason  to  doubt 
whether  they  had  broken  some  precept  of  the 
Jaw  of  God,  or  no.  When  they  were  in  this 
uncertainty,  they  were  obliged  to  offer  sacri- 
fice. What  the  law  commands  concerning  it 
is  this,  Lev.  v,  17,  "  If  a  person  sin  through 
ignorance,  and  does  any  of  those  things  which 
the  law  forbids,  and  comes  to  a  knowledge  of 
his  fault  after  he  has  committed  it,"!  (^^ 
Hebrew  it  is,  the  man  who  shall  sin,  and  com- 
mit some  crimes  against  any  of  the  command- 
ninety-four  places  in  Exod.,  Lev.,  and  Num.,  which  is 
their  translation  of  the  Hebrew  nxtSn  chatah,  and 
which  in  all  the  above  places  is  rendered  sin  offering  in 
4)ur  English  Bibles. 

*  t3^^(  asham,  to  be  guilty  or  liable  to  punishment. 

t  According  to  the  Vulgate. 


DIFFERENT  KINJDS  OF  SACRIFICES.  309 


ments  of  the  Lord,  though  he  be  not  certainly 
assured  of  his  sin,  yet  he  shall  nevertheless  look 
upon  himself  as  guilty  of  it,'')  "  this  man,"  as 
the  Latin  interpreter  goes  on  in  the  Vulgate,  v- 
18,  shall  present  unto  the  priest  a  ram  of  his 
flock,  in  proportion  to  the  crime  he  has  com- 
mitted ;  and  the  priest  shall  pray  for  him,  be- 
cause he  hath  sinned  through  ignorancj^,  and  it 
shall  be  forgiven  him." 

4thl7.  '^^^^  peace  offerings  or  sacrifice  of 
gratitude,  (for  the  Hebrew  word  shelamim  sig- 
nifies both,)  was  offered  as  a  thanksgiving, 
either  for  having  recovered  health,  or  for  hav-* 
ing  received  some  signal  mercy  of  God,  or  for 
the  happy  state  of  their  affairs  ;  and  therefore 
it  was  called  eucharistie al,"^ 

But  some  divide  sacrifices  into  those  of  ca/i- 
secration,  which  was  offered  when  any  one  was 
admitted  into  the  priesthood  :  those  oî ijurijica- 
Hon,  which  was  offered  for  women  who  had 
lain  in,  and  lepers  ;  and  those  of  expiation, 
which  were  ofiered  for  purifying  the  sanctuaryt 
or  temple,  or  people. 

9.  Nothing  now  remains,  but  to  speak  of  the 
manner  of  partaking  of  the  sacrifices  ;  concern- 
ing which,  we*  must  observe,  that  nobody  par- 
took of  the  burnt  offerings,  because  they  were 
entirely  consumed  by  fire  :  and  that  in  the  other 
sacrifices,  the  law  declares  what  parts  of  the 
victims  belonged  to  the  priests,  and  what  parts 

^CD^Db^  shelameeiiij  from  mSy;  sJialanu  to  make 
wliole,  complete,  to  make  up  a  difTerencc  between  par- 
ties, to  produce  peace. 


310       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

belonged  to  those  who  offered  them,  Num. 
xviii,  8,  20.  When  the  sacrifices  were  of  the 
most  holy  sort,  they  were  then  always  obliged 
to  be  eaten  in  the  holy  place,  that  is,  within  the 
courts  of  the  temple,  and  nobody  was  admitted 
to  this  repast  but  Jews,  and  such  only  of 
them  as  had  contracted  no  legal  impurity.  Aijd 
as  to  the  other  sacrifices,  which  were  thought 
less  holy,  as  the  paschal  iamb,  it  was  sufficient 
to  eat  them  within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  but 
no  where  else.  ^ 

But  beside  these  sacrifices  of  animals  there 
were  likewise,  as  has  been  said,  some  oblations 
among  the  Jews,  which  were  made  of  bread, 
wine,  oil,  and  incense.  And  of  these  there 
were  three  sorts  ;  namely,  1st,  such  as  were 
ordinary  or  common  ;  2dly,  such  as  were  free  ; 
and>  3dly,  such  as  were  prescribed. 

1st.  The  ordinary  oblations  that  were  made 
among  them  were,  1st,  of  a  certain  perfume 
called  thumiama,  which  was  burnt  every  day 
upon  the  altar  of  incense  ;  and  2dly,  of  the  show 
bread,  which  was  offered  new  every  Sabbath  day, 
and  the  old  taken  away,  and  eaten  by  the  priests. 

2dly.  The  free  oblations  were  either  the 
fruits,  1st,  of  promises,  or  2dly,  vows  ;  but  the 
former  did  not  so  strictly  oblige  as  the  latter. 
And  of  vows  there  were  two  sorts  ;  1st,  the 
voio  of  consecration^  when  they  devoted  any 
thing,  either  for  a  sacrifice,  or  for  the  use  of  the 
temple,  as  wine,  wood,  salt,  and  the  like  ;  and 
2dly,  the  vow  of  engagement,  when  persons 

*  Maimonides  de  Ratione  Sacrificiorum,  cap.  xi,  n.  5. 


DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SACRIFICES.  311 

engaged  themselves  to  do  something  which 
was  not  in  itself  unlawful,  as  not  to  eat  of 
some  particular  meat,  not  to  wear  some  par- 
ticular habits,  not  to  do  such  and  such  inno- 
cent things,  not  to  drink  wine,  or  to  cut  their 
hair,  not  to  live  longer  in  any  house,  and  such 
like.  When  they  made  a  vow  they  made  use 
of  these  forms  :  1  charge  myself  ivith  a  burnt 
offerings  or  /  charge  myself  with  the  price  of 
this  animal,  for  a  burnt  off  erring.  Beside 
which,  they  had  likewise  other  shorter  forms  ; 
as  for  example,  when  they  devoted  all  they  had 
they  only  said,  Ml  I  have  shall  be  corban,  that 
is,  I  make  a  present  of  it  to  God.  For  the 
word  corban  signifies  a  present  made  to  God  ; 
which  is  the  very  same  thing  that  St.  Mark 
says  of  it,  Mark  vii,  11,  "Corban,  (that  is  to 
say,  a  gift,)  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest  be 
profited  by  me."  The  Pharisees  taught,  that 
as  soon  as  a  man  had  once  said  this  to  his  pa- 
rents, as  soon  as  he  had  pronounced  the  word 
corban,  he  thereby  consecrated  all  he  had  to 
God,  and  could  not  even  retain  enough  to  sup- 
port his  father  and  mother  :  and  therefore  Jesus 
Christ  with  reason  reproaches  them  with  hav- 
ing destroyed  by  their  tradition  that  command- 
ment of  the  law,  which  enjoins  children  to 
honour  their  fathers  and  mothers.  The  law  re- 
quired an  exact  performance  of  these  vows, 
and  the  things  which  were  thus  given  to  God* 
were  reckoned  among  things  sacred,  which  no- 
body could  alienate  without  sacrilege. 

3dly.  The  prescribed  oblations  were  either, 
1st,  the  fir$t  fruits,  or  2dly,  the  tenths. 


312       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

ist.  All  the  first  fruits  of  both  fruit  and  ani- 
lïials  were  due  to  God,  Exod.  xxii,  29,  Among 
animals,  the  males  only  belonged  to  God,  and 
they  not  only  had  the  liberty,  but  were  even  ob- 
liged to  redeem  them,  in  the  case  of  men  and 
unclean  animals,  which  could  not  be  offered  up 
in  sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  And  as  to  fruits,  they 
were  forbidden  to  begin  the  harvest  till  they  had 
offered  up  to  God  the  o?«er,  that  is  the  new 
sheaf,  the  day  after  the  great  day  of  unleavened 
bread  ;  and  were  forbidden  to  bake  any  bread 
made  of  new  corn  till  they  had  presented  the 
new  loaves,  on  the  day  of  pentecost.  Before  the 
offering  up  of  the  first  fruits  all  was  unclean  ; 
after  this  oblation  all  was  holy.  To  which  St^ 
Paul  alludes  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  his  Epis- 
tle to  the  Romans,  verse  16,  when  he  says,  "  If 
the  first  fruit  be  holy,  the  lump  is  also  holy.''  The 
law  commands,  says  Philo,  that  as  often  as  the 
people  make  bread,  they  should  lay  aside  the 
first  fruits  for  the  priests,  and  this  keeps  up 
religion  in  their  hearts  ;  for  when  they  accus- 
tom themselves  to  lay  aside  something  for 
God,  they  cannot  easily  forget  him.  To 
which  Maimonides  adds,  that  he  that  ate  of  his 
fruits  before  he  had  paid  the  tithe  of  it,  was 
punished  with  sudden  death.  And  aa  of  fruits 
and  animals,  so  likewise  of  oil  and  wincv  the 
first  fruits  of  them  were  paid  to  God,  Deut»- 
xvii,  4. 

2dly.  Beside  first  fruits,  the  Jews  likewise' 
paid  the  tenths  of  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  St. 
Jerom,  in  his  CommeiUanj  on  the  FijUj-fourih 


THEIR  FIRST  FRUITS.  313 

Chapter  of  Ezekiel,  divides  the  tenths  into  four 
sorts  ;  1st,  such  as  were  paid  to  the  Lévites  by 
the  people,  who  were  forbidden  the  eating  any 
fruit  before  this  tenth  was  paid,  upon  pain  of 
death  ;  2dly,  such  as  were  paid  by  the  Lévites 
to  the  priests  ;  3dly,  such  as  were  reserved  for 
the  banquets  which  were  made  within  the  verge 
of  the  temple,  to  which  the  priests  and  Lévites 
were  invited  ;  and  4thly,  such  as  were  paid 
every  three  years,  for  tha  support  of  the  poor. 
If  any  one  had  a  mind  to  redeem  the  tithes  he 
was  to  pay,  he  was  obliged  to  pay  one  fifth 
above  their  real  value  ;  and  the  tithes  that  be- 
longed neither  to  the  priests  nor  Lévites  were 
carried  to  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  where  any  Jews  were.  But 
the  distant  provinces  converted  it  into  money, 
which  was  sent  to  Jerusalem,  and  applied  to 
the  sacrifices  and  entertainments,  at  which  the 
law  required  gayety  and  joy.  Josephus,  who 
relates  this  custom,  calls  this  money  conse- 
crated.  And  we  may  say  that  it  was  either  in 
order  to  support  this  pious  custom,  or  else  in 
order  to  substitute  a  more  necessary  one  in  the 
room  of  this,  which  wàs  now  no  longer  so,  that 
the  apostle  took  care  to  send  alms  to  Jerusa- 
lem from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  account 
of  it  is  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
chapter  xvi,  1-3,  where  St.  Paul  says,  "  Now 
concerning  the  collection  for  the  saints,  as  I 
have  given  order  to  the  Churches  of  Galatia, 
even  so  do  ye.  Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week 
Jet  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store  as  God 
21 


314         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

hath  prospered  him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings 
when  I  come.  And  when  I  come,  whomsoever 
you  shall  approve  by  your  letters,  them  will  I 
send  to  bring  your  liberality  unto  Jerusalem." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Of  the  JVLinisters  of  the  Temple^  the  Priests^  Le* 
vites,  JVazarites^  and  Rechabites, 

The  Jews,  in  the  establishment  of  their  re- 
public, had  no  other  king  but  God  himself  ;  and 
the  place  appointed  for  their  sacrifices  and 
prayers  was  at  the  same  time  both  the  temple 
of  their  God,  and  the  palace  of  their  sovereign. 
And  hence  comes  all  that  pomp  and  magnifi- 
cence in  their  worship,  that  prodigious  number 
of  ministers,  officers,  and  guards  ;  and  that 
very  exact  order  in  their  functions,  which  was 
first  estabhshed  by  Moses,  and  afterward  re- 
newed by  David  with  yet  greater  splendour. 
The  tabernacle  was  the  first  palace  God  had 
among  the  Hebrews,  and  to  that  the  temple 
succeeded  ;  and  the  tribe  of  Levi  was  chosen, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  to  form  his  household.  And 
for  this  reason  it  was  disengaged  from  all  other 
cares  and  absolutely  devoted  to  the  service  of 
the  altar  :  but  the  honour  of  the  priesthood  was 
reserved  to  the  family  of  Aaron  alone,  and  the 
rest  of  the  tribe  divided  #nly  the  inferior  offices 
of  the  temple  among  theni,  so  that  all  the  priests 
were  indeed  Lévites^  but  iall  the  Lévites  were 


MINISTERS  OF  THE  TEMPLE.  315 


not  priests  :  nor  were  the  priests  and  Lévites 
the  only  sacred  persons  among  the  Jews  ;  and 
.  therefore,  in  order  to  comprehend  them  all,  I 
shall  in  this  chapter  speak,  1,  of  the  Lévites; 
2,  of  the  priests  ;  3,  of  the  officers  of  the  syna- 
gogue ;  4,  of  the  JVazarntes  ;  5,  of  the  Recha- 
bites  ;  6,  of  the  patriarchs  ;  and  7,  of  the  joro- 
phets. 

I.  Of  the  Lévites.  But  before  I  enter  into  a 
particular  account  of  their  functions  I  shall  say 
something,  1st,  of  the  estates  which  God  as- 
signed them  for  their  subsistence,  in  order  to  free 
them  from  the  importunate  cares  of  life,  which 
might  otherwise  have  diverted  them  from  his 
service  ;  2dly,  of  their  consecration  ;  3dly,  of 
their  age  ;  and  then  proceed  to  say  something, 
4ihly,  of  their  functions  ;  5thly,  of  their  num- 
ber ;  6thly,  of  such  of  them  as  were  officers  of 
the  temple  ;  and,  Tthly,  of  the  JVethinim,  or 
their  servants. 

1st.  Then,  in  the  division  of  the  land  of 
promise,  the  Lévites  had  not  their  portion  of  it  ; 
there  were  only  eight  and  forty  cities,  with  their 
territories  assigned  them  for  the  support  âï>f 
their  cattle,  and  thirteen  of  these  came  to  shjffe 
with  the  priests.  And  these  are  all  the  pos- 
sessions the  Lévites  had  ;  but  to  make  'them 
amends  for  that,  the  other  tribes  paid  them  the 
tithe  of  all  their  estates,  and  they  paid  the  tenths 
of  that  to  the  priests.  And  Ijeside  this,  the 
priests  had  likewise  the  first  fruits,  and  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  offerings  that  were  m^de 
to  God.  All  which  may  be  seen  in  the  book 
of  JSTumbtrs,  chap,  xviii. 


316        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

2dly.  As  to  the  admittance  of  the  Lévites 
into  the  ministry,  birth  alone  did  not  give  it  to 
them  ;  they  were  Ukevvise  obliged  to  receive  a 
sort  of  consecration.  "  Take  the  Lévites  from 
among  the  children  of  Israel,"  says  God  to 
Moses,  '^and  cleanse  them.  And  thus  shalt 
thou  do  unto  them,  to  cleanse  them  ;  sprinkle 
water  of  purifying  upon  them,  and  let  them 
shave  all  their  flesh,  and  let  them  wash  their 
clothes,  and  so  make  themselves  clean.  Then 
let  them  take  a  young  bullock,''  &c.  Num.  viii, 
6,  7,  8  ;  Exod.  xxix,  1-37. 

3dly.  Nor  was  any  Levite  permitted  to  exer- 
cise his  function,  till  after  he  had  served  a  sort 
of  noviciate  for  five  years,  in  which  he  carefully 
learned  all  that  related  to  his  ministry.  Mai- 
monides,  who  gives  an  account  of  this  custom, 
thereby  reconciles  two  places  in  Scripture,  which 
appear  contrary  to  one  another  :  for  it  is  said 
in  the  book  of  JVumbers,  in  one  place.  Num.  iv, 
3,  that  the  Lévites  were  not  admitted  into  the 
service  of  the  temple,  till  they  were  thirty  years 
old,  and  in  another,  Num.  viii,  24,  that  they 
were  admitted  at  twenty-five.  The  last  of 
which  two  ages  shows  the  time  when  they  began 
their  probation,  and  the  other  the  time  when 
they  began  to  exercise  their  functions.  So  that 
the  Lévites  were  at  the  full  age  of  a  man,  when 
they  were  admitted  into  their  oflice  ;  and  at  the 
age  of  fifty  they  were  discharged  from  it.  But 
this  rabbin  pretends,  that  this  discharge  was 
only  granted  in  the  wilderness,  because  the 
tabernacle  often  changed  place,  and  the  removal 


OF  THE  LEVITES. 


317 


of  it  being  troublesome  and  laborious,  required 
young  men  to  do  it  ;  and  that  when  the  taber- 
nacle was  fixed,  age  was  no  dispensation  for 
the  Lévites  to  quit  the  exercise  of  their  offices. 

4thly.  As  to  their  functions  ;  Moses  is  very 
particular  in  giving  an  account  of  what  each 
Levite  was  to  carry,  upon  the  removal  of  the 
tabernacle.  Num.  iv  ;  l3ut  these  offices  subsist- 
ing no  longer,  after  the  conquest  of  the  land  of 
Canaan,  David  established  a  new  order  among 
the  Levitesy  whereby  some  were  appointed  to 
guard  the  gates,  1  Chron.  ix,  17-26,  and  xxvi, 
some  to  sing  psalms,  1  Chron.  xxv,  and  some 
to  guard  the  treasures,  1  Chron.  ix,  29  ;  and 
he  likewise  divided  them  into  different  classes, 
of  which  Maimonides  reckons  twenty-four  ; 
and  each  of  these  was  to  serve  a  whole  week. 
The  head  of  each  of  these  classes  divided  those 
who  were  under  him  into  different  families,  and 
chose  out  every  day  a  certain  number  of  them 
who  were  to  serve  for  that  day  ;  and  the  heads 
of  these  families  assigned  every  one  his  office. 
But  the  Lévites  were  not  permitted  to  do  any 
thing  that  was  to  be  done  about  the  altar. 

5thly.  The  number  of  these  Lévites^  upon 
the  account  that  was  taken  of  those  who  were 
thirty  years  of  age,  in  Solomon's  time,  was 
thirty-eight  thousand,  1  Chron.  xxiii,  3  ;  and 
thence  we  may  judge  of  the  magnificence  of 
the  house  of  God,  in  which  there  were  so  many 
officers.  "  Of  which,"  says  the  Scripture, 
"  twenty  and  four  thousand  were  to  set  forward 
the  work  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  and  six 


318         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

thousand  were  officers  and  judges.  Moreover^ 
four  thousand  were  porters,  and  four  thousand 
praised  the  Lord  with  the  instruments,  and 
David  divided  them  into  courses,"  1  Chron. 
xxiii,  4-^6.  To  which  the  Scripture  adds, 
*'  For  by  the  last  words  of  David  the  Lévites 
were  numbered  from  twenty  years  old  and 
above  :  because  their  olfice  was  to  wait  on  the 
sons  of  Aaron,  for  the  service  of  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  in  the  courts,  and  in  the  chambers, 
and  in  the  purifying  of  all  holy  things,  and  the 
work  of  the  service  of  the  house  of  God  ;  both 
for  the  show  bread,  and  for  the  fine  flour  for 
meat  offering,  and  for  the  unleavened  cakes, 
and  for  that  which  is  baked  in  the  pan,  and  for 
that  which  is  fried,  and  for  all  manner  of  mea- 
sure and  size  ;  and  to  stand  every  morning  to 
thank  and  praise  the  Lord,  and  likewise  at  even, 
and  to  offer  all  the  burnt  sacrifices  unto  the 
Lord,  in  the  Sabbaths,  in  the  new  moons,  and 
on  the  set  feasts,"  &c,  1  Chron.  xxiii,  27,  28, 
29,30,31.  And, 

6thly.  The  Gospel  likewise  tells  us  that  there 
were  officers  in  the  temple  :  and  the  name  St. 
Lukegives  them  signifies  officers  of  ivar  so  that 
w^e  may  on  this  account  also  look  on  the  temple 
as  a  camp.  Beside  the  general  officer,  Mai- 
monides  reckons  up  fifteen  subalterns,!  whose 
business  it  was  to  give  notice  of  the  time  for 
the  solemnities,  the  day  and  hour  of  the  sacri- 
fices, and  to  set  the  guard.   Beside  which,  they 

*  Luke  Xxii,  52.     arpaTtjyoL  rov  i&pov. 

fin  this  treatise  called  Chelinij  chap.  vii. 


or   THE  LEVITES. 


319 


had  likewise  the  charge  of  the  music,  the  instru- 
ments, the  table  in  which  every  one's  office  was 
set  down  according  as  it  had  fallen  to  him  by 
lot,  the  seals,  the  Hbations,  the  sick,  the  waters, 
the  show  bread,  the  perfumes,  the  oils,  and  the 
sacerdotal  habits.  But  to  give  the  greater 
light  to  all  this,  I  will  repeat  what  Maimonides 
has  said  of  it,  which  will  make  the  reader  more 
and  more  admire  the  magnificence  of  the  house 
of  God.  "  Every  officer  (says  he)  had  under 
him  several  persons,  who  executed  his  orders 
in  every  thing  that  related  to  his  charge.  He< 
for  example,  who  was  to  mark  the  time,  caused 
the  hours  to  be  reckoned,  and  when  that  of  the 
sacrifice  was  come,  either  he  or  some  of  his 
men  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  '  To  the  sacrifice, 
ye  priests  ;  to  the  tribune,  {Music  Gallery,)  ye 
Lévites  ;  and  to  your  ranks,  ye  Israelites  and 
then  immediately  every  one  prepared  himself  to 
set  about  his  duty.  He,  who  had  the  care  of 
the  gates,  ordered  when  they  should  be  shut, 
and  when  opened  ;  and  the  trumpets  which  gave 
notice  that  the  gates  were  going  to  be  opened, 
could  not  sound  till  they  had  his  orders.  The 
officer  of  the  guard  took  his  rounds  at  night, 
and  if  he  found  any  of  the  Lévites  upon  guard 
asleep,  he  either  caned  him,  or  burnt  his  vests. 
The  superintendent  of  the  music  every  day 
chose  the  musicians  who  were  to  sing  the  hymns, 
and  gave  orders  to  the  trumpets  to  give  notice 
of  the  sacrifices.  The  masters  of  the  instru- 
ments delivered  them  out  to  the  Lévites,  and 
appointed  what  instruments  should  every  day  be 


1^20        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

used.  And  he  who  had  the  charge  of  the  table, 
made  the  priests  draw  lots,  and  assigned  every 
one  his  office."*  If  the  reader  has  a  mind  to 
see  more  of  this,  I  refer  him  to  the  book  itself; 
and  shall  only  add  here,  that  there  was  another 
officer  beside  these,  whose  business  it  was  to 
take  care  of  the  priests  that  fell  sick,  which 
often  happened.  For,  as  they  wore  nothing 
but  a  single  tunic,  and  drank  no  wine,  and  were 
obhged  to  go  barefoot  in  the  temple,  which  was 
paved  with  marble,  they  were  very  subject  to 
the  colic.  But  I  must  not  forget  to  observe 
here,  that  David  chose  out  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  Lévites  to  be  masters  of  music, 
and  teach  the  others  to  sing,  1  Chron.  xxv,  7  ; 
so  that  as  there  were  four-and-twenty  courses 
of  singers,  each  class  had  twelve  masters  ;  and 
in  their  performances  they  mixed  both  voices 
and  instruments  together. 

Tthly  and  lastly.  As  the  priests  had  the 
Lévites  under  them,  so  had  the  Lévites  also 
others  under  them,  whose  business  it  was  to 
carry  the  water  and  wood  that  was  used  in  the 
temple.  Joshua  at  first  made  use  of  the  Gi- 
beonites.  Josh,  ix,  3-27  for  this  purpose  ;  and 
afterward  other  nations  were  employed  in  it  ; 
and  called  JVethinim^  Ezra  viii,  20.  (See  De 
Tahern,  1.  ,vii,  c.  3.  sec.  4,)  that  is,  persons 
who  had  given  themselves  up^  from  the  Hebrew 
JVathan,  which  signifies  to  give. 

From  the  consideration  of  the  Lévites  we 
proceed  now 

*  In  Chelimf  chap.  vii. 


OF  THEIR  PRIESTS. 


321 


II.  To  that  of  the  priests.  In  which  we 
shaJl  mention,  1st,  their  order;  2dly,  their 
election  ;  Bdly,  their  manner  of  life  ;  4thly, 
their  laws  ;  5thly,  their  functions  ;  6th]y,  their 
habits;  Tthly,  the  consecration  of  the  high 
priest  ;  Sthly,  his  succession  ;  and  9thly,  his 
dress. 

1st.  The  order  that  was  observed  among  the 
priests  was  this  :  they  were  divided  as  we  have 
seen,  into  four-and-twenty  classes,  each  of  which 
had  its  head,  who  was  called  the  prince  of  the 
priests.  Every  week  one  of  these  classes  went 
up  to  Jerusalem  to  perform  the  offices  of  the 
priesthood,  and  every  Sabbath  day  they  suc- 
ceeded one  another,  till  they  had  all  taken  their 
turns  :  but  on  the  solemn  feasts  they  all  as- 
sembled there  together.  The  prince  of  each 
class  appointed  an  entire  family  every  day  to 
offer  the  sacrifices,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
week  they  all  joined  together  in  sacrificing. 
And  as  each  class  had  in  it  different  families, 
and  each  family  consisted  of  a  great  number  of 
priests,  they  drew  lots  for  the  different  offices 
which  they  were  to  perform.  And  it  was  thus 
that  the  lot  fell  on  Zacharias  the  father  of  John 
the  Baptist  to  burn  incense  when  he  v/ent  into 
the  temple  of  the  Lord,"  Luke  i,  9. 

2dly.  From  considering  their  order,  we  pro- 
ceed to  consider  the  manner  in  which  the  priests 
were  chosen,  and  the  defects  which  excluded 
them  from  the  priesthood.  Among  the  defects 
of  body,  which  rendered  them  unworthy  of  the 
sacerdotal  functions,  Lev.  xxi,  16,  24,  the  Jews 


322  MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

reckon  up  fifty  which  are  common  to  men  and 
other  animals  J  and  ninety  which  are  pecuHar  to 
men  alone.  {De  Tabern.  lib.  iii,  c.  9,  sec.  3.) 
The  priest,  whose  birth  was  polluted  with  any 
profaneness,  was  clothed  in  black,  and  sent 
out  without  the  verge  of  the  priests'  court  ;  but 
he  who  was  chosen  by  the  judges  appointed  for 
that  purpose,  was  clothed  in  white,  and  joined 
himself  to  the  other  priests.  And  I  know  not 
whether  St.  John  does  not  allude  to  this  custom 
when  he  says,  "  He  that  overcometh,  the  same 
shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I  will  not 
blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life,"  Rev. 
iii,  5.  They  whose  birth  was  pure,  but  who 
had  some  defect  of  body,  lived  in  those  apart- 
ments of  the  temple  wherein  the  stores  of  wood 
were  kept,  and  were  obliged  to  split  and  prepare 
it,  for  keeping  up  the  fire  of  the  altar. 

3dly.  All  the  time  the  priests  were  performing 
their  offices,  both  wine  and  conversation  with 
their  wives,  were  forbid  them,  Exod.  xix,  15; 
Lev.  X,  8-11.  And  they  had  no  other  food  but 
the  flesh  of  the  sacrifices  and  the  show  bread. 
They  performed  all  their  offices  standing, 
(JMaim,  de  Ratione  adtundi  Tempi,  c.  v,)  and 
barefoot,  and  with  their  heads  covered,  Lev.  x, 
6  ;  xxi,  10,  and  feet  washed,  Exod.  xxx,  19. 

4thly.  The  laws  which  God  laid  upon  the 
priests  are  these  :  God  said  unto  Aaron,  Da 
not  drink  wine  nor  strong  drink,  thou  nor  thy 
sons  with  thee,  when  ye  go  into  the  tabernacle 
of  the  congregation,  lest  ye  die.  Lev.  x,  8,  9. 
The  priests  shall  not  be  defiled  for  the  dead 


OF   THEIR  PRIESTS. 


323 


among  his  people,  but  for  his  kin,  Lev.  xxi,  1, 
2.  They  shall  not  take  a  wife  that  is  a  whore, 
or  profane  ;  neither  shall  they  take  a  woman 
put  away  from  her  husband,  Lev.  xxi,  7.  The 
daughter  of  any  priest,  if  she  profane  herself  by 
playing  the  whore,  she  profaneth  her  father,  she 
shall  be  burnt  with  fire,"  Lev.  xxi,  9. 

ôthly.  As  to  the  functions  of  the  priests  : 
their  business  was  to  keep  up  the  fire  upon  the 
altar  of  burnt  oflTerings,  that  it  might  never  go 
out;  (Lev.  vi,  13;  J\Iaim,  de  Ratione  Sacrif. 
c.  V,  n.  7;)  to  guard  the  sacred  vessels  ;  to  offer 
the  sacrifices  ;  to  wash  the  victims  ;  to  make 
the  aspersions,  whether  of  blood  or  water,  upon 
the  persons  offering  the  victims,  or  the  book  of 
the  law  ;  to  burn  the  incense  upon  the  altar  ;* 
to  dress  the  lamps  ;  to  put  the  new  show  bread 
upon  the  table,  and  to  take  away  the  old.  And 
to  them  only  it  belonged  to  catch  the  blood  of 
the  victims,  and  sprinkle  it  upon  the  altar.  (De 
Tab,  sec.  5  ;  Exod.  xxx,  7  ;  2  Chron.  xxvi, 
16-19.)  Such  as  were  of  the  sacerdotal  race, 
and  were  excluded  from  the  priesthood  on  ac- 
count of  any  defect,  had  the  care  of  cleaving 
the  wood  which  was  burnt  upon  the  altar  ;  for 
they  were  very  nice  in  choosing  it,  and  thought 
it  unlawful  to  use  any  there  which  was  rotten 
or  worm  eaten.  All  the  officers  just  now  men- 
tioned were  in  common  to  the  priests  and  high 
priests  ;  but  beside  them  there  was  a  particular 
one,  annexed  to  the  latter  dignity  only,  and  that 

*  This  was  the  first  business  of  the  day.  (De  Tab, 
I.7.C.  6,  sec.  2,  3.) 


324        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


was,  that  the  high  priest  alone  went  into  the 
holy  of  holies  once  a  year  on  the  day  of  expia- 
tion, and  he  alone  could  offer  up  the  sacrifice 
which  was  then  prescribed,  both  for  his  own 
sins  and  those  of  all  the  people. 

6thly.  As  to  the  names  and  forms  of  the  sa- 
cerdotal habits,  we  find  them  in  Exodus  xxviii, 
and  Leviticus  viii.  Those  that  were  common 
to  all  the  priests,  were,  1st,  linen  drawers  ; 
2dly,  the  linen  robe,  which  was  so  straight  that 
it  had  no  fold  in  it  ;  3dly,  the  girdle  ;  and,  4thly, 
the  tiara,  which  was  a  sort  of  bonnet  or  turban, 
made  of  several  rolls  of  linen  cloth  twisted  round 
about  the  head. 

7thly.  All  the  priests  had  over  them  a  high 
priest,  whose  habits  were  different  from  theirs, 
and  who- was  consecrated  with  some  particular 
ceremonies.  At  the  time  of  his  consecration, 
they  poured  a  precious  oil  upon  his  forehead, 
Lev.  xxi,  10,  and  this  unction  was  made  in  the 
form  of  the  Greek  letter  X.  Maimonides  tells 
us  that  this  was  not  observed  in  the  second 
temple,  and  that  the  high  priest  was  then  no 
otherwise  consecrated  than  by  the  pontifical 
habits  which  he  wore.  But  when  it  was  ob- 
served, it  was  done  in  such  plenty,  that  we  are 
not  to  wonder  if  the  holy  oil,  which  was  poured 
upon  his  forehead,  ran  down  on  all  sides  upon 
the  beard  of  the  high  priest  ;  to  which  the 
psalmist  refers  when  spoaking  of  a  precious 
perfume,  he  compares  it  with  that  which  was 
used  at  Aaron's  consecration.  Psalm  cxxxiii,  2. 

Sthly.  The  highpriesthood,  as  to  its  succès- 


HABITS  OF  THE  HIGH  PRIEST.  325 

sion,  descended  by  inheritance,  and  belonged  to 
the  eldest.  In  its  first  institution  it  was  for  life; 
but  from  the  time  that  the  Jews  became  subject 
to  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  the  duration  of  this 
venerable  office  depended  upon  the  will  of  the 
princes  or  governors.  And  under  the  Asmo- 
nean  princes  there  was  another  considerable 
alteration  made  in  this  office.  It  then  went  out 
of  the  family  of  Aaron,  and  passing  into  that 
of  Judas  Maccabeus,  came  into  a  private  Le- 
vitical  family  ;  as  appears  from  the  catalogue 
which  Josephus  has  given  us  of  the  high 
priests.*  There  could  not  be  two  high  priests 
at  once  ;  but  they  chose  a  sort  of  vicar-general, 
who  supplied  their  places  in  their  absence,  and 
had  the  precedence  before  all  other  priests. 
The  Hebrews  gave  him  the  name  sagan^  and 
he  sat  at  the  right  hand  of  the  high  priest.  And 
therefore  some  think  that  Caiaphas  was  high 
priest,  and  Annas  his  sagan,  and  that  this  is  the 
reason  why  Jesus  Christ  was  brought  before 
them  both,  Luke  iii,  2. 

9thly.  As  to  the  habits  peculiar  to  thé  high 
priest,  the  first  we  shall  speak  of  is  that  which 
the  Hebrew  text  calls  mehil.  The  Greek  in- 
terpreters have  once  rendered  it  by  'Tro^^jpyjcr, 
Exod.  xxviii,  4,1  which  signifies  a  garment 

*  See  De  Tab.  1.  vii,  c.  5,  sec.  7:  see  Joseph.  Ant. 
b.  XX,  c.  10,  and  x,  c.  8,  s.  6. 

t  '^yo  ft'oi'r»  nSj7  alah,  to  go  up,  was  probably  so 
called  from  being  a  sort  of  outer,  or  upper  coat.  Jose- 
phus says,  "  It  reached  down  to  the  feet,  and  was  not 
made  of  two  distinct  pieces  sewed  together  at  the  shoul- 
ders and  sides,  but  was  one  entire  long  garment,  woven 


326        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


that  reaches  down  to  the  feet  ;  and  this  is  the 
word  which  Josephus  also  makes  use  of.  But 
as  the  same  Greek  interpreters  sometimes  ren- 
der it  by  other  words,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the 
mehil  was  not  so  long  ;  it  might  be  a  shorter 
sort  of  garment. 

Upon  the  border  of  this  garment,  whatever  it 
was,  there  were  instead  of  a  fringe,  seventy-two 
golden  bells,  and  as  many  pomegranates  :  and 
if  then  this  garment  had  reached  down  to  the 
ground,  it  would  not  only  have  hidden  the  timic, 
or  linen  a/6,  which  the  high  priest  wore  under 
it,  and  which  he  had  in  common  with  the  other 
priests,  but  these  pomegranates  and  bells  would 
likewise  have  lost  their  sound.  And  therefore 
the  mehil  may  be  said  to  have  been  called  jpo- 
deres^  because  it  came  down  almost  to  the  feet. 
The  colour  of  it  was  purple  ;  and  under  it  was 
the  tunic,  or  linen  alb,*  which  was  common  to 
all  the  priests.  This  linen  was  very  fine,  and 
twisted,  so  that  the  tunic  was  not  woven  close, 
but  open  ;  and  there  was  raised  work,  and  hol- 
lows, and  figures  in  it  ;  and  its  extremities 
reached  down  to  the  ground. 

2dly.  And  beside  this,  the  high  priest  wore 
another  sort  of  garment,  which  is  like  a  waist- 
coat without  sleeves,  and  which  is  by  the  He- 
brews called  an  ephod,  and  by  the  Latins  super- 

throughout."  Antiq.  b.  iii,  c.  7,  s.  4.  Our  Lord's  coat, 
mentioned  John  xix,  23,  appears  to  have  been  precisely 
the  same  with  the  mehil.  The  English  translators  cal! 
it  the  robe, 

*  English,  a  hrnidered  coat. 


HABITS  OF  THE  HIGH  PRIEST. 


327 


humerale,  because  it  was  fastened  upon  the 
shoulders.  (And  they  likewise  gave  the  name 
of  ephod  to  another  garnient  something  like 
this,  which  laymen  were  permitted  to  wear,  as 
appears  from  David's  being  said  to  have  been 
dressed  in  a  linen  ephod^  2  Sam.  vi,  14.)  Upon 
each  shoulder  he  had  also  a  precious  stone,  in 
which  were  engraA^en  the  names  of  the  children 
of  Israel  ;'  in  that  on  the  right  shoulder  were  the 
names  of  the  six  eldest,  and  in  that  on  the  left, 
those  of  the  six  youngest.  And  he  had  upon 
his  breast  a  square  piece  of  stuff,  Exod.  xxviii, 
15-30,  of  the  dimensions  of  the  Hebrew  zereth^ 
that  is,  about  half  a  cubit.  The  Hebrews  call 
it  hoschen^  that  is,  the  hreasiplate,  because  it 
was  worn  upon  the  breast  ;  but  the  Greeks  call 
it  logion^  and  the  Latins,  from  them,  rationale^ 
and  from  these  latter  comes  the  French  term 
rational.  The  Greek  word  may  be  translated 
by  this  Latin  one  ;  but  I  think  it  would  be  better 
rendered  oracuhm^  because  this  was  as  it  w^ere 
the  oracle  by  v/hich  God  gave  his  answers  :  for 
the  high  priest,  when  he  would  consult  God  on 
any  occasion,  put  on  this  ornament  upon  his 
breast,  and  God  answered  him  in  the  manner 
we  are  going  to  relate.  There  were  upon  the 
breastplate  twelve  precious  stones,  upon  which 
were  likewise  engraven  the  names  of  the  twelve 
sons  of  Jacob  ;  and  upon  it  were  also  the  Urim 
and  Thummim.  The  first  of  these  words  sig- 
nifies lights  or  knowledge^  and  the  other  truth 
or  perfection  ;  and  the  Jews  pretend  that  they 
were  two  sacred  signs,  by  which  God  made 


•328        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


known  his  will;  and  when  they  ceased  to  ap- 
pear, it  was  no  longer  known  what  they  were. 
All  that  is  certain  concerning  this  opinion  is, 
that  the  word  urim  signifies  lights  ;  and  per- 
haps it  was  so  called  because  these  precious 
stones  shone  with  an  extraordinary  and  miracu- 
lous fire.  So  that  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
were  something  more  than  barely  two  words 
engraven  on  the  breastplate  ;  and  indeed  we 
often  find  in  Scripture  that  God  was  consulted 
by  Urim,  Deut.  xxxiii,  8;  Num.  xxvii,  21; 
1  Sam.  xxviii,  6. 

3dly,  and  lastly.  The  high  priest  wore  like- 
wise a  plate  of  gold  upon  his  forehead,  on  which 
were  engraven  these  two  words,  Kodesch  lay- 
hovah^  that  is,  Holy  to  the  Lord.  It  was  tied 
with  a  purple  or  blue  ribbon  to  his  tiara,  which 
was  made  of  linen,  like  those  of  the  other 
priests,  and  was  only  distinguished  from  them 
by  this  plate  and  ribbon. 

III.  Next  to  the  priests  and  Lévites,  the 
officers  of  the  synagogue  ought  to  find  a  place 
in  this  chapter.  They  were  in  some  sort  sacred 
persons,  since  they  had  the  superintendency  of 
those  places  which  were  set  apart  for  prayer 
and  instruction.  They  were  of  several  sorts  ; 
some  of  them  being  presidents<fWhom  the  Greeks 
call  princes  of  the  synagogue,  and  the  Hebrews 
heads  of  the  congregation,"^  These  were  men 
advanced  in  age,  men  of  letters  and  under- 

*  These  are  ia  the  New  Testament  called  Apx^rova- 
y(ayoL  or  rulers  of  the  syna^o^ue,  Mark  v,  35;  Luke 
viii,  41. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  SYNAGOGUE.  32§  ' 

Standing,  and  of  known  probity.  The  Hebrews 
call  them  chocamim^  that  is,  sages  or  vAse  mm  ; 
and  their  authority  was  considerable.  They 
were  judges  of  pecuniary  matters,  of  thefts, 
damages,  and  such  like  ;  and  St.  Paul  doubt- 
less alludes  to  them  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  his 
First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  verse  5,  when 
he  reproaches  the  Christians  with  carrying  their 
differences  before  the  tribunals  of  the  Gentiles, 
as  if  they  had  no  persons  among  themselves 
who  were  capable  of  judging  them.  "  Is  it  so," 
says  he,  "  that  there  is  not  a  wise  man  among 
you?  no,  not  one  that  shall  be  able  to  judge 
between  his  brethren  And  these  had  likewise 
the  power  of  punishing  those  whom  they  judged 
to  be  rebellious  against  the  law  ;  and  hence  it 
is  that  our  Lord  forewarns  his  disciples,  that 
*'  they  should  be  scourged  in  the  synagogues," 
Matt.  X,  17,  Beside  these  presidenis  or  princes 
of  the  synagogue^  there  v/a.s  likewise  in  every 
synagogue  a  sort  of  minister,  who  read  the 
prayers,  directed  the  reading  of  the  law,  and 
preached,  and  was  called  cliazan,  that  is,  an 
inspector  or  bishop.^    And  to  this  minister 

*  He  that  read  the  prayers  and  gave  the  blessins^  in 
the  synagogues  was,  according  to  Dr.  Pri(ieaax,  a  differ- 
ent officer  from  the  chazan,  and  was  called  sheliach  zib- 
hovj  or  the  angel  of  the  Church;  whence  it  is  that  the 
bishops  are  called  (Rev.  i,)  angels  of  the  Churches.  The 
chazauj  according  to  him,  was  an  inferior  officer,  whose 
business  was  to  take  care  of  the  books  and  other  uten- 
sils; a  sort  qf  deacon,  such  as  the  parnasim  are  here  said 
to  be.  And[  to  such  a  one  as  is  called  a  nihiisier,  our 
>Saviour  gavé  the  books  when  he  had  done  reading  iu 
22 


330       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

were  joined  other  officers,  who  had  the  care  of 
the  poor,  and  collected  the  alms  ;  and  these 
were  called  parnasim,  that  is,  pastors  and  rec- 
tors. As  to  the  reading  of  the  law  in  the  syna- 
gogues, it  was  always  done  in  Hebrew,*  and 
this  made  it  necessary^  as  soon  as  that  language 
ceased  to  be  their  mother  tongue,  to  establish 
an  interpreter^  whom  the  Jews  called  targum" 
ista.  And  by  this  means  the  doctor  who  ex- 
plained the  law  in  Hebrew,  came  to  have  an 
interpreter  always  by  him,  in  whose  ears  he 
softly  whispered  what  he  said,  and  this  inter- 
preter repeated  aloud  to  the  people  what  had 
been  thus  whispered  to  him.  This  Lightfoot 
plainly  proves  in  his  Horœ  Talmudicœ  ;  and 
this  Jesus  Christ  had  in  view  when  he  said  to 
his  disciples,  What  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that 
proclaim  ye  upon  the  house  tops,"  Matt,  x,  27, 
But  the  synagogues  were  not  only  places  set 
apart  for  prayer,  they  were  also  schools  where 
the  young  were  taught.  The  sages^  for  so  the 
masters  were  called,  sat  upon  benches,  and  the 
young  men  sat  at  their  feet  ;  which  is  the  rea- 
son St.  Paul  says<  he  learned  the  law  at  the 
feet  of  Gamaliel,  Acts  xxii,  3.  We  shall  now 
add  an  account  of  such  as  distinguished  them- 
selves from  the  people  by  the  holiness  of  their 
lives  ;  and  such  were, 

the  synagogue,  Lnke  iv,  20.  Connec.  part  i,  b.  6.  Un-j 
der  the  year  444,  p,  306,  307  of  the  fol.  edit.^  / 
*  Of  the  manner  of  reading  the  Scripture  m  the  syna-| 
gogue,  see  Prid.  Con.  part  i,  b.  6.  Under  the  year  444, 
p.  306  of  the  fol.  edit. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  SYNAGOGUE.  'é'éi 

4thly.  The  JVazarites,  or  as  some  called 
them,  JVazareans  ;  which  is  a  Hebrew  word, 
and  signifies  separated.  God  himself  is  the 
author  of  this  kind  of  Hfe.*  From  the  moment 
that  they  devoted  themselves  to  it,  they  ab- 
stained from  all  sorts  of  liquors  that  could  in- 
toxicate, and  never  cut  their  hair  afterward,  till 
the  day  that  their  vow  ended.  And  of  these 
there  were  two  sorts  :  1st.  Nazarites  by  birth, 
as  were  Samson,  and  John  the  Baptist  :  and 
2dly.  Nazarites  by  yoiv  and  engagement.  The 
latter  followed  this  kind  of  life  only  for  a  time, 
after  which  they  cut  off  their  hair  at  the  door  of 
the  tabernacle.  Maimonides  observes,!  that 
there  were  sometimes  some  zealous  persons, 
who  voluntarily  defrayed  the  expenses  which 
were  necessary  for  cutting  off  the  hair  of  one 
or  more  Nazarites,  after  they  had  offered  the 
necessary  sacrifices,  when  the  time  of  their 
vows  was  expired.  Which  may  serve  to  ex- 
plain that  passage  in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of 
the  Acts,  which  some  persons  misunderstand, 
in  thinking  that  St.  Paul  is  there  spoken  of,  as 
having  made  a  vow  to  become  a  Nazarite. 
But  the  true  sense  of  the  chapter  is  this  ;  the 
apostles  advise  St.  Paul  to  bear  the  necessary 
expenses  of  four  Nazarites,  in  order  to  remove 
the  opinion  the  people  had  received  of  him,  that 
he  despised  the  law  of  Moses.    Now  they  that 

*  In  the  sixth  chapter  of  Numbers  you  have  an  ac- 
cx)unt  of  the  qualifications  of  the  Nazarites  and  their 
austerities. 

t  In  his  treatise  of  the  Jfazareate. 


332 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


bore  these  expenses  were  obliged  to  purify 
themselves  :  and  therefore  St.  Paul  appointed  a 
day,  whereon  he  would  (after  the  time  of  tho 
'vow  was  past)  pay  the  money  that  was  neces- 
sary to  buy  the  victims  that  were  to  be  offered 
up  on  this  occasion  ;  in  order  thereby  to  unde- 
ceive the  Jews  concerning  the  reports  that  had 
been  spread  about  him.* 

5thly.  The  Rechabites,  like  the  Nazarites, 
separated  themselves  from  the  rest  of  the  Jews, 
in  order  to  lead  a  more  holy  life.|  Jeremiah 
describes  the  life  and  customs  of  the  Rechabites 
in  the  thirty-fifth  chapter  of  his  prophecy,  verse 
6-7,  thus,  "  I  set,"  says  he,  before  the  sons 
of  the  house  of  the  Rechabites,  pots  full  of  wine, 
and  cups,  and  I  said.  Drink  ye  wine.  But  they 
said,  We  will  drink  no  wine,  for  Jonadab  the 
son  of  Rechab  our  father  commanded  us,  say- 
ing. Ye  shall  drink  no  wine,  neither  ye  nor  your 
sons,  for  ever.  Neither  shall  ye  build  house, 
nor  sow  seed,  nor  plant  vineyard,  nor  have  any." 

*  Not  that  this  is  so  to  be  understood,  with  Petit,  as  to 
imply  that  St.  Paul  had  no  vow  upon  himself:  it  is  to 
me  very  evident,  fiom  Acts  xviii,  18,  that  he  had  a  vow 
upon  himself,  (which  he  made  at  Ccnchrea,  and  there- 
fore shaved  him&ell'  there,  by  r/ay  of  initiation  into  it,  as 
all  those  who  made  vows,  or  were  Nazarites,  did,)  as 
Aveil  as  assisted  the  others  in  defraying  the  expenses  of 
their  vows.    (See  Lamy  De  Tabern.  1.  vii,  c.  3,  sec.  2.) 

t  The  Rechabites'  manner  of  living  was  not  only  a 
matter  of  religioTiy  but  also  a  civU  ordinance  grounded  upon 
a  national  custom.  The}'^  were  Kenites  or  Midianiies, 
who  used  to  live  in  tents,  as  the  Arabians  still  do,  IJeb. 
iii,  7.  (Mcde's  Works,p.  127.) 


OF  THE  RECHABITES.  338 

This  Rechab,  the  father  of  Jonadab,  lived  under 
Jehu  king  of  Israel,  in  the  time  of  the  prophet 
Ehsha,  2  Kings  x,  15.  These  Rechabites  lived 
in  tents,  and  flourished  about  a  hundred  and 
four-score  years.  But  after  the  captivity  they 
were  dispersed,  unless  the  Essenes,  of  whom 
we  have  spoken  before,  (see  page  252,)  suc- 
ceeded them.  It  is  certain  that  they  followed 
the  same  kind  of  life. 

6thly.  Among  the  number  of  sacred  persons 
we  may  likewise  put  the  patriarchs.  Such 
were  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  and  the  rest,  since 
they  did  the  offices  of  priests,  offered  sacrifices, 
and  taught  religion  at  home  and  abroad,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  light  they  received  from  God. 

7thly.  The  prophets  are  also  of  this  number, 
and  were  raised  up  in  an  extraordinary  manner 
for  the  performance  of  the  most  holy  functions. 
They  were  at  first  called  seers^  they  discovered 
future  things,  they  declared  the  will  of  God,  and 
spoke  to  both  kings  and  people  with  a  surprising 
confidence  and  freedom.  Prophecy  was  not 
always  annexed  to  the  priesthood  ;  there  were 
prophets  of  all  the  tribes,  and  sometimes  even 
among  the  Gentiles,  Num.  xi  :  and  the  office 
of  a  prophet  was  not  only  to  foretell  what  should 
afterward  come  to  pass,  it  was  their  business 
likewise  to  instruct  the  people,  and  they  inter- 
preted the  law  of  God  ;  insomuch  that  the  word 
prophet  sometimes  signifies  an  interpreter  or 
teacher.  But  of  both  patriarchs  and  prophets 
we  have  already  spoken. — See  pages  29-4 1 ,  and 
page  180.  * 


334     Manners  of  the  Israelites. 


CHAPTER  Vr. 

The  Jewish  Confession  of  Faith — Doctrine 
of  Orignal  Sin — Opinion  of  the  Messiah^ s 
Kingdom, 

Nothing  more  facilitates  the  understanding 
of  an  author,  than  the  knowing  what  ends  he 
proposed  to  himself  in  writing;  and  we  can 
never  well  understand  what  these  views  were, 
unless  we  know  what  were  the  dispositions, 
sentiments,  and  customs  of  those  for  whom  he 
wrote.  For  an  author  always  adapts  his  dis- 
course to  all  these  things;  he  either  touches 
upon  them  transiently,  or  he  maintains  them,  or 
he  refutes  them.  And  from  hence  it  is  easy  to 
perceive  how  useful  it  is,  in  order  to  understand 
the  Gospel  and  apostolical  epistles,  to  know 
what  were  the  opinions  and  usages  of  the  Jews, 
at  the  time  when  the  authors  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment wrote.  By  Jewish  opinions,  I  do  not 
mean  the  precepts  and  doctrines  of  the  law,  but 
certain  traditions  which  they  pretend  were  left 
them  by  their  fathers,  which  are  now  found  in 
the  Talmud,  and  which  the  Jews,  who  are  strict 
adherents  to  their  customs  and  ceremonies,  do 
yet  observe  to  this  day. 

The  confession  of  faith  which  contains  these 
traditions,  consists  of  thirteen  articles,  but  they 
are  not  all  equally  ancient.  The  ninth,  which 
declares  that  the  law  of  Moses  cannot  be  abo- 
lished by  any  other  law,  was  evidently  drawn  up 


JEWISH  CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  3^5 


against  the  Christian  religion.  This  confession 
of  faith,  as  represented  byBuxtorf  in  his  treatise 
de  synagoga  Jiidica,  is  as  follows  : — 

1.  I  firmly  believe,  that  God,  blessed  be 
his  name  for  ever,  is  the  Creator  and  the  Mas- 
ter of  all  things  ;  and  that  every  thing  was,  is, 
and  will  be  made  for  him  alone. 

"  2.  I  firn^ly  believe,  that  this  Creator  of  all 
things,  blessed  be  his  name  for  ever,  is  one,  by 
a  unity  peculiar  to  himself,  and  that  he  alone 
has  been,  is,  and  will  be  our  God. 

"  3.  I  firmly  believe,  that  this  Creator,  bless- 
ed be  his  name  for  ever,  is  not  corporeal,  nor 
can  in  any  manner  whatsoever  be  conceived  to 
be  corporeal,  and  that  there  is  nothing  in  the 
world  that  is  like  him. 

"  4.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  Creator,  bless-» 
ed  be  his  name  for  ever,  is  eternal,  and  that  he 
is  the  beginning  and  end  of  all  things. 

"  5.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  Creator,  bless- 
ed be  his  holy  name  for  ever,  ought  alone  to  be 
worshipped,  exclusive  of  any  other  being. 

"  6,  I  firmly  believe,  that  all  the  words  of 
the  prophets  are  true. 

7.  I  firmly  believe,  that  all  the  prophecies 
of  Moses  our  master  (may  his  soul  rest  in 
peace!)  are  true,  and  that  he  is  superior  to 
all  the  sages  who  went  before  or  came  after 
him. 

"  8.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  law  which  we 
have  now  in  our  hands  was  given  by  inspiration 
to  Moses. 

'*  9.  I  firmly  believe,  that  this  law  will  never 


336        MANNERS  or  THE  ISRAELITES. 


be  changed,  and  that  the  Creator,  blessed  be 
his  holy  name,  will  never  give  another. 

"10.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  Creator,  bless- 
ed be  his  holy  name,  knows  all  the  actions  and 
all  the  thoughts  of  men,  as  it  is  said,  '  He  hath 
formed  the  hearts  of  all  men,  and  is  not  ignorant 
of  any  of  their  works,'  Psa.  xxxiii,  15. 

"11.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  Supreme 
Creator  rewards  those  who  keep  his  law,  and 
punishes  those  who  break  it. 

"  12.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  Messiah  must 
come,  and  though  his  coming  be  delayed,  I  will 
always  expect  it,  till  he  does  appear. 

"  13.  I  firmly  believe,  that  the  dead  will  rise 
at  the  time  appointed  by  the  Creator,  whose 
name  be  blessed,  and  his  glory  magnified 
throughout  all  ages,  to  all  eternity." 

The  Jews  were  so  strictly  attached  to  the 
worship  of  the  true  God,  long  before  the  birth 
of  Jesus  Christ,  that  no  remains  of  their  former 
inclination  to  idolatry  was  observed  in  them 
and  therefore  neither  Jesus  Christ  nor  his  apos- 
tles cast  any  reproaches  upon  them  on  that  ac- 
count. But  because  they  received  several  other 
doctrines,  which  it  is  of  some  importance  to 
know,  beside  those  contained  in  these  thirteen 

*The  true  reason  why  the  Jews  were  so  prone  to 
idolatry  before  the  Babylonish  captivity,  and  why  they 
were  so  cautiously  fixed  against  it  ever  after  that  cap  i 
tivity,  plainly  appears  to  be  this,  that  they  had  the  law 
and  the  prophets  read  to  them  every  week  in  their  syna- 
gogues after  the  captivity,  which  they  had  not  before  * 
for  they  had  no  synagogues  nil  after  it.  Prid.  Con.  part 
1,  b.  G.    Under  the  year  444,  p.  559  of  the  8vo.  edition. 


JEWISH  CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  337 

articles,  I  shall  therefore  give  an  account  of 
them,  beginning  with  that  which  relates  to  the 
birth  of  man. 

The  rabbins  acknowledge,  that  there  is  in 
man  a  fund  of  corruption  ;  and  the  Talmud 
speaks  of  original  sin  thus,  *'  We  ought  not  to 
be  surprised  that  the  sin  of  Eve  and  Adam  was 
so  deeply  engraven,  and  that  it  was  as  it  were 
sealed  with  the  king's  signet,  that  it  might  be 
thereby  transmitted  to  all  their  posterity  ;  it  was 
because  all  things  were  finished  the  day  that 
Adam  was  created,  and  he  was  the  perfection 
and  consummation  of  the  world  ;  so  that  when 
he  sinned  all  the  world  sinned  with  him.  We 
partake  of  his  sin,  and  share  in  the  punishment 
of  it,  but  not  in  the  sins  of  his  descendants." 

The  rabbins  teach,  that  the  wounds  which 
were  made  in  man  by  sin,  will  be  cured  by  the 
Messiah  ;  but  they  say  there  will  be  two  Mes- 
siahs, one  of  which  shall  be  put  to  death,  and 
the  other  shall  appear  with  glory.  As  to  the 
time  of  his  coming,  they  acknowledge  that  their 
fathers  believed  that  the  space  which  the  world 
was  to  last  was  six  thousand  years  ;  that  of  these 
God  appointed  Iwo  ihotisand  for  the  law  of  na- 
ture, tivo  thousand  for  the  law  of  Moses,  and  two 
thousand  for  the  Messiah  ;  and  that,  according 
to  this  account,  the  Messiah  must  have  come 
much  about  the  same  time  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  born  and  died  :  but,  say  they,  the  iniquities 
of  men,  which  are  increased  ad  infinitum^  have 
obliged  God  to  let  a  great  part  of  this  last  two 
thousand  years  pass  away,  before  the  coming 


338        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


of  the  Messiah.  And  they  now  forbid  the 
making  of  any  computation  of  the  years  of  his 
coming. 

The  Jews  hate  all  the  rest  of  mankind  ;  they 
even  think  themselves  obliged  to  kill  them,  un- 
less they  submit  to  the  precepts  given  to  Noah; 
and  nobody  is  with  them  their  neighbour  but  an 
Israelite.*  And  what  praises  soever  they  may 
give  to  the  law  of  Moses,  yet  they  think  it  law- 
ful for  them  to  break  it  to  save  their  lives.  They 
seldom  make  use  of  the  name  of  God  in  their 
oaths  :  when  they  do^  it  makes  them  inviolable:  i 
but  when  they  swear  by  the  creatures,  they  do 
not  look  on  those  as  sacred  ;  nor  do  they  make 
any  scruple  of  breaking  them  :  and  this  gave 
occasion  to  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles  to 
forbid  the  use  of  all  sorts  of  swearing,  Matt,  v, 
34,  in  order  thereby  to  correct  that  horrid  abuse 
of  oaths  which  was  common  among  the  Jews, 
when  the  name  of  God  was  not  in  them. 

*  As  this  is  an  avowed  sentiment  of  all  the  ancient 
and  modern  Jews,  {see  page  263,)  we  may  see  how  dan- 
gerous it  would  be  to  permit  them  to  have  any  rule  or 
influence  in  any  nation  under  the  sun.  Had  they  strength 
and  authority,  their  career  would  be  like  that  of  Moham- 
med, every  man  must  be  butchered  who  would  not  sub- 
mit to  be  circumcised. 


OP  THE  HEBREW  TALENT.  339 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Of  the  Hebreiv  Talent,  and  how  to  reduce  it  into 
English  JVLoney, 

Befjore  the  value  of  any  number  of  talents 
of  gold  can  be  found  in  sterling  money,  at  the 
rate  the  gold  in  Great  Britain  is  now  valued  at, 
which  is  21  shillings  the  guinea,  this  must  be 
premised,  viz.  that  the  learned  Doctor  Prideaux, 
dean  of  Norwich,  in  his  valuation  of  a  talent  of 
gold,  makes  it  sixteen  times  the  present  value 
of  a  talent  of  silver  ;  and,  according  to  that 
valuation,  one  pound  weight  of  pure  gold  is  only 
equal  in  value  to  sixteen  pounds  weight  of  silver 
that  has  eighteen  pennyweights  of  alloy  in  each 
pound  weight  of  it,  and  so  the  gold  is  4/.  an 
ounce,  which  indeed  is  the  present  value  of  an 
ounce  of  pure  gold  ;  but  forasmuch  as  the  stand- 
ard for  the  gold  coin  of  great  Britain  is  twenty- 
two  caracts,  fine,  i,  e,  the  twelfth  part  of  every 
ounce  of  it  is  alloy,  and  so  an  ounce  of  it  is  of 
less  value  than  4/.  sterling. 

The  best  way  to  find  the  present  value  of 
one  ounce,  or  any  other  quantity,  is  by  the  rule 
of  three  direct  proportion,  to  say. 

As  5  dw.d  gr.  is  to  21s.  so  is  1  oz.  to  78.1394s. 

Note,  five  pennyweights,  nine  grains,  is  the 
exact  weight  of  one  guinea.  And  as  five  pen- 
nyweights, nine  grains,  is  in  proportion  to 
twenty-one  shillings,  so  is  one  ounce,  troy 
weight,  in  proportion  to  78.1394.*?.  ?.  e.  3/.  18*, 


340        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


l-^d,  sterling;  and  so  much  one  ounce  troy,  of 
the  coined  gold  of  Great  Britain  is  worth,  at  the 
rate  of  twenty-one  shiUings  the  guinea.  But  a 
crown,  which  is  one  ounce  troy  weight,  is  bet- 
ter worth  five  shilhngs  sterhng,  than  an  ounce 
of  the  gold  coin  of  Great  Britain  is  worth  3/. 
185.  l^d,  sterling,  because  one  twelfth  of  the 
gold  coin  is  alloy,  and  there  is  not  so  much  in 
the  silver  coin. 

Now  to  find  the  present  value  of  any  number 
of  Hebrew  talents  of  gold,  this  is  the  rule  : — 

Multiply  78.1394s.  (the  present  value  of  an 
ounce  troy  of  the  gold  coin  of  Great  Britain) 
by  1800  ounces  troy,  (the  weight  of  a  Hebrew 
talent,)  and  the  product  will  be  the  value  of  that 
talent  in  shillings  sterling,  or  in  shillings  and 
part  of  a  shilling  sterling  ;  then  multiply  the 
product  by  the  number  of  talents,  the  next  or 
second  product  will  be  the  value  of  all  the  ta- 
lents in  shillings  sterling,  or  in  shilhngs  and 
part  of  a  shilling  sterling  :  divide  the  second 
product  by  twenty,  (the  shillings  in  the  pound 
sterling,)  and  the  quotient  will  be  the  present 
value  of  all  the  talents  in  pounds  sterling,  or  in 
pounds  sterling  and  part  of  a  pound  sterling. 
And  so  the  present  value  of  the  hundred  and 
twenty  talents  of  gold  which  it  is  said,  1  Kings 
X,  10,  the  queen  of  Sheba  gave  to  King  Solo- 
mon, will  be  found  to  be  843905.52/.  t.  e.  eight 
hundred  forty-three  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
five  pounds,  ten  shiUings,  and  four  pence  three 
farthings  sterling. 

For  if  78.13945.  be  multipHed  by  1800 


OF  THE  HEBREW  TALENT. 


341 


ounces,  the  product  will  be  140650.925.  which 
multiplied  by  120,  the  next  product  will  be 
16878110,405.  which  divided  by  205.  the  quo- 
tient will  be  843905.52/.  equal  to  843,905/. 
105.  4c/.  Iç.  sterling. 

It  is  said  that  *'  King  Solomon  made  two 
hundred  targets  of  beaten  gold  ;  six  hundred 
shekels  of  beaten  gold  went  to  one  target,"  2 
Chron.  ix,  15.  King  Solomon  made  likewise 
three  hundred  shields  of  beaten  gold  ;  three 
hundred  shekels  of  gold  went  to  one  shield,"  2 
Chron.  ix,  16. 

To  find  the  value  of  two  hundred  targets,^  I 
consider  that  one  target  is  one  fifth  of  the 
weight  of  a  talent  ;  for  a  talent  is  3000  shekels, 
and  a  target  is  but  600,  which  is  the  fifth  of 
3000,  therefore  one  of  the  targets  of  gold  is 
but  one  fifth  the  value  of  a  talent  of  gold  :  and 
so  this  will  be  the  rule  : — 

Divide  140650.920  {ie.  the  shiUings  sterling 
that  are  equal  to  one  talent  of  gold)  by  five, 
the  quotient  will  be  28130.1845.  {i.  e.  the  value 
of  one  target,)  which  multiply  by  200,  (the 
number  of  the  targets,)  the  product  will  be  the 
value  of  the  two  hundred  targets  in  shillings 
sterling;  divide  the  product  by  205.  the  quo- 
tient will  be  the  value  of  the  200  targets  in 
pounds  and  part  of  a  pound  sterling,  viz, 
281301.84/.  equal  to  281,301/.  I65.  9^d.  See 
the  operation  following; — 


342       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

Example. 

5)  140650.920s.  equal  to  one  talent  of  golfJ. 

Ctuotient,   28130.184s.  equal  to  one  target  of  gold. 
200  targets. 

Product,     5626036.800s.  equal  to  two  hundred  targets. 
20)  5626036.80s. 

auotient,  281301.84/.  equal  to  281,301/.  16s.  9^^. 

To  find  the  value  of  the  300  shields  of  gold^ 
each  containing  300  shekels,  equal  to  one  half 
of  a  target,  the  rule  is  : — 

Multiply  14065.092s.  {i.  e.  the  value  of  one 
shield,  equal  to  half  the  value  of  one  target,)  by 
300,  (the  number  of  shields,)  the  product  wiH 
be  the  value  of  the  300  shields  in  shilUngs  and 
part  of  a  shilling  sterling  :  divide  the  product 
by  20,  the  quotient  will  be  the  pounds  and  part 
of  a  pound  sterling  that  are  equal  in  value  to 
the  300  shields,  viz.  210976.38/.  equal  to 
210,976/.  75.  7d.  See  the  operation  follow- 
ing:— 

Example. 

14065.092s.  the  value  of  one  shield. 
300  shields. 

Product,   4219527.600s.  equal  to  30Q  shields. 

20)  4219527.600s. 
auotient,  210976.38/.  equal  to  210976/.  7s.  7d. 

In  1  Kings  x,  14,  we  are  told  that  the  weight 
of  gold  that  came  to  Solomon  in  one  year,  was 


OF  THE  ANCIENT  SAMARITANS.  343 


666  talents.  And  by  the  preceding  rule  the 
reader  will  find  that  this  annual  income  amount- 
ed to  4,68e3,675/.  125.  Sid.  sterling.^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Some  Account  of  the  Ancient  Samaritans^ 

As  the  history  of  this  singular  people  is  so 
intimately  connected  with  that  of  the  ancitni 
Israelites^  it  may  not  be  improper  to  give  a 
short  account  of  them  in  this  place. 

About  the  year  of  the  world  3295,  709  be- 
fore the  Christian  era,  Sennacherib  king  of 
Assyria,  having  failed  in  his  attempts  upon  Ju-  ^ 
dea,  and  becoming  cruel  and  tyrannical  eveo 
among  his  own  people,  in  consequence  of  his 
disappointment,  was  slain  by  his  two  eldest 
sons,  Adramelech  and  Sharezar,  while  worship- 
ping in  the  house  of  his  god  JVisroch,  The 
parricides  having  fled,  Esarhaddon  the  third 
son,  assumed  the  reins  of  government  in  the 
Assyrian  empire,  2  Kings  xix,  37  ;  1  Chron* 
xxxii,  21  ;  Isa.  xxxviii,  38.  After  he  had  fully 
settled  his  authority  in  Babylon,  he  began  to 
set  his  heart  on  the  recovery  of  what  had  been 

*  These  calculations,  in  which  I  have  followed  Mr. 
Reynolds,  (State  of  the  greatest  King)  &c,  p.  58,)  will  be 
found  materially  to  differ  from  those  of  the  Abbe  Fleury, 
in  pp.  221,  222,  of  this  work  ;  but  as  they  appeared  to  me 
to  be  perfectly  correct,  I  judged  them  of  too  much  con- 
>5efiuence  to  be  omitted. 


344        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


lost  to  the  empire  of  the  Assyrians,  in  Syria  and 
Palestine,  on  the  destruction  of  his  father's 
army  in  Judea.  Having  gathered  together  a 
great  army,  he  marched  into  the  land  of  Israel, 
and  took  captive  all  those  who  were  the  remains 
of  the  former  captivity,  (a  few  excepted  who 
escaped  into  the  mountains,  &c,)  and  carried 
them  away  Into  Babylon  and  Assyria.  As  the 
land  was  in  danger  of  becoming  entirely  deso- 
late through  lack  of  inhabitants,  he  brought  co- 
lonies from  Babylon,  Cullia,  Ava,  Hamath^  and 
Sepharvaim,  and  established  them  in  the  cities 
of  Samaria,  instead  of  those  whom  he  had  car- 
ried into  captivity,  2  Kings  xvii,  24  ;  Ezra  iv, 
2,  10.  And  thus  the  ten  tribes  which  had  se- 
parated from  the  house  of  David  were  brought 
to  an  utter  destruction,  and  could  never  after- 
ward assume  any  political  consequence. 

It  appears  that  some  considerable  time  must 
have  elapsed  from  the  captivity  of  the  Israelites 
of  Samaria,  before  the  above  heathen  colonies 
were  brought  in  ;  for  we  find  immediately  on 
their  settliiig  they  were  much  infested  with  lions, 
commissioned  by  the  Lord  to  be  a  scourge  to 
these  idolaters,  2  Kings  xvii,  26,  and  which, 
we  may  suppose,  had  multiplied  greatly  after 
the  desolation  of  the  land.  The  king  of  Baby- 
lon being  told  that  it  was  because  they  wor- 
shipped not  the  God  of  the  country,  that  they 
were  plagued  with  these  ferocious  animals, 
ordered  that  one  of  the  captive  Jewish  priests 
should  be  sent  back,  to  teach  these  new  set- 
tlers the  manner  of  the  God  of  the  Imd^  2 


OF  THE  ANCIENT  SAMARITANS.  345 


Kings  V,  26  ;  i,  e.  how  to  worship  the  God  of 
Israel,  as  it  was  an  ancient  opinion  among  the 
heathens,  that  each  district  and  country  had  its 
peculiar  and  tutelary  deities.  A  priest  was 
accordingly  sent  back,  who  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Beth-eîy  and  there  established  the 
worship  of  the  true  God,  and  the  heathens  in- 
corporated this  worship  with  that  which  they 
paid  to  their  idols.  The  few  remaining  Jews 
soon  became  miserably  corrupted  both  in  their 
manners  and  religion,  and  while  Jehovah  was 
feared  because  of  his  supposed  superior  influ- 
ence in  that  land,  all  the  other  gods  of  the 
Babylonians,  Cuthites,  Hamathites,  Avites,  and 
Sepharvites,  had  Divine  honours  paid  to  them. 

This  monstrous  mixture  of  idolatry  with  the 
worship  of  the  true  God  continued  for  about 
three  hundred  years,  till  the  building  of  the  Sa- 
maritan temple  on  Mount  Gerizim,  by  Sanballat 
the  Horonite,  about  A.  M.  3595,  B.  C.  409. 
As  the  Jewish  priesthood  had  been  greatly 
corrupted  by  impure  connections  and  heathen- 
ish alliances,  Sanballat  found  no  difficulty  to 
procure  a  priest,  a  regular  descendant  of  the 
house  of  Aaron,  to  officiate  in  the  schismatical 
temple  which  he  had  lately  erected  :  for  one  of 
the  sons  of  Joiada  the  high  priest,  whom  Jose- 
phus  calls  Manasseh,  {Antiq,  b.  xi,  c.  7,)  hav- 
ing married  the  daughter  of  Sanballat,  and 
refusing  to  separate  from  her  when  JVehemiah 
insisted  on  all  the  Jews  to  put  away  their 
strange  wives  or  to  depart  the  country,  Manas- 
5eh  fled  to  Samaria,  and  there  became  high 
23 


346        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

priest  of  the  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim,  built 
by  his  father-in-law.  Samaria  now  became  a 
common  asylum  for  refractory  Jews;  for  all 
who  had  violated  the  law  by  eating  forbidden 
meats,  &c,  and  were  called  to  account  for  it, 
fled  to  the  Samaritans,  by  whom  they  were 
kindly  received  ;  and  as  multitudes  had  apos- 
tatized in  this  way,  in  process  of  time  the  major 
part  of  the  people  was  made  up  of  apostate 
Jews  and  their  descendants.  This  soon  brought 
about  a  general  change  in  the  religion  of  the 
country  ;  for  as  they  had  hitherto  worshipped 
the  God  of  Israel  only  in  conjunction  with  their 
false  gods,  after  a  temple  was  bi^ilt  among 
them,  in  which  the  daily  service  was  constantly 
performed  in  the  very  same  manner  as  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  law  of  Moses  brought  to  Sa- 
maria and  there  publicly  read,  they  abandoned 
the  worship  of  their  idols,  and  became  wholly 
conformed  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  ia 
which  they  have  hitherto  continued  with  unde- 
viating  exactness  ;  being  in  many  respects 
more  conscientious  than  the  Jews  themselves. 
{Prideaux.  Connex»  vol.  i,  p.  42,  &c,  vol.  ii, 
p.  588,  &c.)  The  Jews,  however,  considering 
them  as  apostates,  hate  them  worse  than  any 
other  nation  ;  and  the  Samaritans  consider  the 
Jews  their  worst  and  most  inveterate  enemies. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  as  out  of  Sa- 
maria no  prophet  arose  after  this  time,  and  the 
Jewish  prophets  having  inveighed  strongly 
against  the  Samaritan  corruptions,  they  have 
never  received  tha  prophetical  writings  of  thii^ 


OF  THE  ANCIENT  SAMARITANS.  347 


Hebrews,  and  have  none  of  their  own  :  so  that 
all  they  acknowledge  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures 
to  be  Divine,  is  the  five  books  of  Moses,  which 
they  have  in  the  most  scrupulous  and  conscien- 
^tious  manner  preserved  till  the  present  day  ; 
and  to  them  the  republic  of  letters  is  obliged 
for  the  preservation  of  the  ancient  genuine  He- 
brew character,  now  called  the  Samaritan, 
which  was  thrown  aside  by  Ezi^a  when  he 
published  a  connected  edition  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament Scriptures,  in  which  he  used  the  Chal- 
dee  character,  since  improperly  termed  the 
Hebreiv."^  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  observe, 
that  the  Pentateuch  is  printed  in  this  ancient 
Hebrew  character,  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
London  Polyglott,  and  its  various  readings  are 
given  in  a  parallel  column  in  the  first  volume 
of  Dr.  Kennicott's  Hebrew  Bible. 

Having  taken  this  general  view  of  the  rise 
and  continuance  of  this  remarkable  sect,  it  may 
be  necessary  next  to  consider  what  their  pre- 
sent  state  is,  both  in  a  religious  and  civil  point 
of  view. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Jl  short  Account  of  the  Samaritans  in  Judea 
and  Egypt. 

The  present  state  of  the  Samaritans  in  Egypt 
and  Judea  cannot  be  better  known  than  from 

*  See  a  farther  account  of  this  in  the  Bibliographical 
Dictionary,  vol.  vii,  Succession  of  Sacred  Literature, 
under  th«  article  Ezra. 


348       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES* 

Dr.  Huntington's  Letters.  This  learned  Eng- 
lishman had  seen  them  at  Cairo  and  Napo** 
lussa,  had  corresponded  with  them,  and  exa- 
mined them  upon  several  things,  which  common 
travellers  generally  omit. 

"  There  are  no  Samaritans,''  he  observes, 
"  at  Damascus  ;  and  though  those  of  Sichem 
boast  of  their  numerous  brethren  at  Cairo,  I 
saw  there  but  one  Samaritan  and  his  wife,  who 
were  very  poor.  The  synagogue  is  a  little, 
nasty,  and  obscure  chamber.  Here  are  kept 
two  copies  of  the  law,  which  may  be  about  five 
hundred  years  old.  They  have  a  form  of 
prayer,  and  a  book  which  they  call  Joshua, 
which  contains  a  very  short  chronicle  from  the 
creation  of  the  world  to  Mohammed.  This 
false  prophet  is  cursed  at  the  end  of  the  book, 
but  that  word  is  written  in  Samaritan,  that  the 
Arabians  may  not  understand  it  ;  lastly,  they 
keep  in  this  little  library  some  commentaries 
on  the  law,  written  in  Arabic.  This  is  the  lan- 
guage in  common  use,  except  when  they  quote 
any  passage  of  the  law,  or  write  the  names  of 
their  high  priests,  for  then  they  use  the  Sama- 
ritan characters. 

"  Those  of  Sichem  or  Napolussa  are  for  the 
most  part  farmers  of  the  customs,  and  collec- 
tors of  the  tribute  at  Sichem,  Gaza,  Joppa,  or 
else  are  secretaries  to  the  Bassa,  which  gives 
them  some  countenance.  They  walk  the 
streets  well  enough  dressed,  and  are  not  so 
miserable  as  in  other  places.  Their  principal 
Merchah  ben  Yacoub,  wrote  to  me  at  Jerusa- 


SAMARITAN  CREED. 


349 


iem.  The  letters  were  signed  by  eighteen  per- 
sons which  were  almost  all  of  consideration  at 
Sichem. 

**  This  commissary  of  the  customswas  after- 
ward obliged  to  retire  to  Leghorn,  because  of 
the  persecutions  he  met  with  in  the  Holy  Land. 
These  Samaritans  boast  of  having  a  copy  of 
the  law  written  by  the  hand  of  Ahisha.  '  We 
have,'  say  they  in  their  letters,  *a  sacred  writ- 
ing ;  'tis  the  copy  of  the  law,  in  which  are 
found  these  words  :  "  I,  Abisha,  the  son  of 
Phineas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron, 
the  high  priest,  have  transcribed  this  copy  at  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  in 
the  thirteenth  year  of  the  children  of  Israel's 
entrance  into  the  Holy  Land,  or  upon  the  fron- 
tiers." '  The  Samaritans  having  boasted  of 
this  copy,  I  was  wilhng  in  a  second  journey 
I  made  to  Sichem,  to  examine  the  truth  of  the 
fact  with  my  own  eyes.  But  I  turned  over  the 
manuscript  long  enough  without  finding  the 
words  ;  and  the  Samaritans,  who  were  present, 
confessed  that  these  words  were  not  now  in 
their  copy  ;  that  they  were  there  formerly,  but 
somebody  had  maliciously  expunged  them." 

Thus,  instead  of  honestly  acknowledging 
their  imposture,  they  face  it  with  a  new  false- 
hood, and  sacrifice  their  conscience  to  a  chime- 
rical antiquity.  All  the  Samaritans  hate  the 
Jews  mortally;  for  this  traveller  relates,  that 
they  having  one  day  asked  him  whether  there 
were  Hebrews  in  his  country,  they  were  over- 
joyed to  hear  there  were  ;  but  when  he  went  to 


350         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


undeceive  them,  because  they  took  the  Jews  of 
England  for  Samaritans,  they  would  not  believe 
him  :  *'  No,  no  !"  cried  they,  "  they  are  Israel* 
ites,  Hebrews,  our  most  brotherly  breiliren.^^ — 
As  they  do  not  give  the  Jews  the  title  of  He- 
brews, or  Israelites,  they  think  all  nations  do 
the  like.  And  indeed  they  fancy  that  they  are 
the  only  stock  of  ancient  Israel.  One  of  them 
had  a  design  to  come  and  see  those  whom  he 
called  his  brethren  in  England  ;  but  under- 
standing he  must  be  upon  the  sea  on  the  Sab- 
bath, he  thought  it  was  breaking  the  rest  of  it, 
and  would  hear  no  more  of  the  voyage  ;  for 
they  observe  the  Sabbath  with  the  utmost  strict- 
ness. They  do  not  pronounce  the  name  Jefto- 
vah,  but  make  use  of  the  word  Sema  ><cc^. — 
Mr.  Ludolf^  with  a  great  deal  of  reason,  be- 
lieved it  to  be  the  word  Shem  cdiî%  which  signi- 
fies the  NAME,  by  way  of  eminence.  What  is 
more  surprising  is,  that  the  Christians  of  Egypt 
do  the  same  thing,  never  pronouncing  the  word 
Phta^  which  is  the  name  the  Egyptians  gave 
God,  to  signify  that  he  did  every  thing  without 
fraud,  with  art  and  truth.  But  they  called  God 
Ebrudi. 

"  Their  notions  of  the  Messiah  are  very  con- 
fused and  very  different  ;  but  they  always  speak 
honourably  of  him,  and  they  do  not  declaim 
much  against  those  that  worship  him.  Their 
hatred  to  the  other  Jews  makes  them  more 
moderate  perhaps  to  the  Christians." 

To  omit  nothing  that  concerns  the  reli- 
gion of  the  Samaritans,  I  shall  here  add  the 


SAMARITAN  CREED. 


confession  of  faith  which  the  high  priest  Elea- 
zar  sent  to  Scaliger,  in  the  name  of  the 
synagogue  of  Sichcniy  which  that  great  man 
consulted  :  — 

'*  1.  The  Samaritans  observe  the  Sabbath 
with  all  the  exactness  required  in  Exodus. — 
For  none  of  them  goes  out  of  the  place  where 
he  is  on  thcvSabbath  day,  but  only  to  go  to  the 
synagogue,  where  they  read  the  law  and  sing 
God's  praises.  They  do  not  sleep  thatnight with 
their  wives,  and  neither  kindle,  nor  order  fire  to 
be  kindled  ;  whereas  the  Jews  transgress  the 
Sabbath  in  all  these  points.  For  they  go 
out  of  town,  have  fire  made,  sleep  with  their 
wives,  and  even  do  not  make  use  of  proper 
ablutions. 

"  2.  They  hold  the  passover  to  be  their  first 
festival.  They  begin  at  sunset  by  the  sacrifice 
enjoined  for  that  purpose  in  Exodus.  But  they 
sacrifice  no  where  but  on  Mount  Gei^izim,  where 
they  read  the  law,  and  offer  prayers  unto  God, 
after  which  the  priest  dismisses  the  whole  con- 
gregation with  a  blessing. 

"  3.  They  celebrate  for  seven  days  together 
the  feast  of  the  harvest  ;  but  they  do  not  agree 
with  the  Jews  concerning  the  day  on  which  it 
should  begin.  For  these  reckon  the  next  day 
after  the  solemnity  of  the  passover  ;  whereas 
the  Samaritans  reckon  fifty  days,  beginning  the 
next  day  after  the  Sabbath,  which  happens  in 
the  week  of  unleavened  bread  ;  and  the  next 
day  after  the  seventh  Sabbath  following,  the 
feast  of  the  harvest  begins. 


352         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

"  4.  They  observe  the  feast  of  expiation  the 
tenth  of  the  seventh  month.  They  employ  the 
four-and-twenty  hours  of  the  day  in  prayers 
to  God  and  singing  his  praises,  and  fasting. — 
For  all  except  sucking  children  fast  ;  whereas 
the  Jews  except  children  under  seven  years 
of  age. 

"5.  The  fifteenth  of  the  same,  month  they 
celebrate  the  feast  of  the  iahernacles  upon  the 
same  Mount  Gerizim. 

"  6.  They  never  defer  circumcision  farther 
than  the  eighth  day,  as  it  is  commanded  in 
Genesis  ;  whereas  the  Jews  sometimes  defer  it 
longer. 

7.  They  are  obliged  to  wash  themselves  in 
the  morning,  when  they  have  slept  with  their 
wives,  or  have  contracted  any  defilement  in  the 
night;  and  all  vessels  that  may  become  un- 
clean, are  defiled  when  any  such  unclean  per- 
son touches  them. 

"  8.  They  take  away  the  fat  from  sacrifices, 
and  give  the  priests  the  shoulder,  the  jaws,  and 
belly. 

"  9.  They  never  marry  their  nieces  as  the 
Jews  do,  and  have  but  one  wife;  whereas  the 
Jews  may  have  many. 

"  10.  They  beheve  in  God,  in  Moses,  and 
Mount  Gerizim,  whereas  the  Jews  put  their 
trust  in  others.  We  do  nothing,  say  they,  but 
what  is  expressly  commanded  in  the  law  by  the 
Lord,  who  made  use  of  the  ministry  of  Moses. 
But  the  Jews  swerve  from  what  the  Lord  hath 


SAMARITAN  CREED. 


353 


commanded  in  the  law,  to  observe  what  their 
fathers  and  doctors  have  invented." 

Thus  far  their  creed  sent  to  Scaliger.  They 
say,  that  Mr.  Huntington  persuaded  them  they 
had  brethren  at  London  ;  but  he  says,  that  the 
Samaritans  were  misled  by  the  name  of  Israel- 
ites, and  thought  that  all  who  went  by  the  name 
of  Hebrews  were  Samaritans.  Some  fraud 
seems  to  have  been  practised  upon  them  rela- 
tive to  this  subject,  in  order  to  get  a  copy  of 
their  law,  and  they  certainly  did  entrust  him 
with  a  copy  of  their  Pentateuch,  which  Dr. 
Huntington  seems  to  have  requested  from  them 
in  the  name  of  their  pretended  Samaritan  bre- 
thren in  England  :  at  least,  so  I  am  led  to 
understand  their  letter  to  these  English  Sama- 
ritans, a  translation  of  which  I  subjoin  from 
Basnage^  that  the  fact  may  speak  for  itself. — 
Indeed  it  is  a  literary  curiosity,  and  being  per- 
fectly authentic,  is  worthy  of  particular  atten- 
tion. 

A  Letter  of  the  Samaritans,  to  their  Brethren 
in  England. 

In  the  name  of  the  Almighty,  adorable  God  ; 
in  the  name  of  the  great  Lord,  who  is  by  him- 
self, our  God,  the  God  of  our  fathers,  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob,  who  has  said  in  his  law, 

I  am  the  God  of  Bethel,"  the  supreme  God, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  God  Almighty,  who 
has  sent  Moses,  the  son  of  Amram,  commis- 
sioned with  his  laws,  and  by  his  means  has 


354         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES*, 

revealed  the  holiness  of  Mount  Gerizim,and  of 
the  house  of  God. 

We  salute  you,  0  synagogue  of  Israel,  the 
people  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  who  has  chosen 
this  people  above  all  nations  of  the  earth  ;  for 
you  are  a  people  holy  to  the  Lord.  We  call 
ourselves  Samaritans,  and  we  assure  you,  our 
brethren  in  Israel,  that  we  are  extremely  de- 
voted to  Moses  the  prophet,  and  to  the  holy 
law.  We  observe  the  Sabbath  as  God  has 
commanded,  for  on  that  day  nobody  moves  out 
of  his  place,  except  it  be  to  pay  his  devotions  at 
the  house  of  the  Lord.  As  all  those  who 
sought  God  went  to  the  tabernacle  of  witness, 
we  do  nothing  there  but  read  the  law,  praise 
God,  and  pay  him  our  thanksgivings  ;  and 
whereas  the  Jews  ride  on  horseback,  go  out  of 
the  city,  light  fires  on  that  day,  and  converse 
with  their  wives  :  ive  separate  ourselves  the 
night  of  the  Sabbath,  and  light  no  fire.  The 
Jews  do  not  wash  after  every  kind  of  pollution, 
but  ive  do,  and  purify  ourselves  thereby.  We 
pray  to  God  evening  and  morning  according  to 
the  command  he  has  given  us,  "  You  shall  offer 
me  a  lamb  in  the  morning,  and  another  lamb 
between  the  two  evenings."  We  lie  upon  the 
ground  when  we  worship  God  before  Mount 
Gerizim,  the  house  of  God. 

We  have  seven  solemn  feasts  wherein  we  as- 
semble. The  first  is  the  feast  of  the  passover^ 
at  the  time  that  our  fathers  came  out  of  Egypt. 
We  sacrifice  the  lamb  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
first  month,  at  evening,  a  little  before  sunsetting» 


SAMARITAN  EPISTLE. 


355 


and  eait  it  roasted,  with  unleavened  bread  and 
bitter  herbs.  We  make  this  sacrifice  only  upon 
Mount  Gerizim  ;  and  we  prepare  it  on  the  first 
day  of  the  month  JVisan,  according  to  the 
Greeks.  We  reckon  seven  days  for  the  feast 
of  unleavened  bread  ;  six  whereof  we  eat  bread 
without  leaven.  On  the  seventh  we  go  early  at 
break  of  day  to  Mount  Gerizim,  to  celebrate 
the  feast  and  read  the  law.  When  prayers  are 
ended  the  priest  gives  the  blessing  to  the  people 
from  the  top  of  the  eternal  mountain.  We  do 
not  begin  to  reckon  the  fifty  days  of  the 
feast  of  the  harvest,  Uke  the  Jews,  from  the 
morrow  of  the  feast  of  the  passover,  but  we 
reckon  them  from  the  day  following  the  Sab- 
bath, that  happens  in  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread,  till  the  morrow  of  the  seventh  Sabbath, 
on  which  we  celebrate  the  feast  of  harvest  upon 
Gerizim.  We  celebrate  also  the  seventh  months 
which  begins  with  the  feast  of  trumpets.  Ten 
days  after  is  that  of  propitiations  ;  in  which  we 
sing  hymns  and  say  prayers,  from  one  day  to 
the  other,  night  and  day.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren fast  as  well  as  the  men,  and  we  dispense 
with  none  but  those  that  suck  ;  whereas  the 
Jews  dispense  with  all  under  seven  years  old. 
We  observe  the  feast  of  tabernacles  upon  Mount 
Gerizim  the  fifteenth  of  the  seventh  month. 
We  set  up  tabernacles,  according  to  the  order 
given  us  by  God,  "  Ye  shall  take  you  the 
boughs  of  goodly  trees,  branches  of  palm 
trees,  and  the  boughs  of  thick  trees  and  willows 
of  the  brook."    We  spend  seven  days  in  joy, 


336        MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

under  these  tents,  and  on  the  eighth  we  end  the 
feast  of  the  Lord  with  a  hymn. 

We  very  circumspectly  observe  whether  the 
conjunction  of  the  sun  and  moon  happen  in  the 
night,  or  in  the  day  before  noon.  If  it  happen 
before  noon,  that  day  is  the  first  of  the  month  ; 
but  if  it  happen  at  twelve  o'clock,  or  a  little  after, 
we  delay  the  beginning  of  the  month  till  the 
morrow.  If  the  conjunction  be  lunar,  the 
month  continues  twenty-nine  days,  but  thirty  if 
it  be  solar.  If  the  new  moon  falls  on  the 
eleventh  of  the  month  Mar  of  the  Greeks,  we 
intercalate  a  month,  and  reckon  thirteen  that 
year.  And  the  month  that  immediately  follows 
is  the  first  month  of  the  year.  But  if  the  month 
begins  on  the  twelfth  of  Adar  or  some  days 
after,  then  that  is  the  first  month  of  the  year, 
and  we  reckon  but  twelve  ;  for  the  week  of  un- 
leavened bread  must  be  in  the  month  JYisan* 
The  Jews  reckon  otherwise  than  we  ;  we  begin 
the  Sabbatic  year  and  the  jubilee  from  the  first 
day  of  the  seventh  month. 

We  sprinkle  the  water  of  separation  the  third 
and  fourth  days,  upon  all  that  are  defiled  by  the 
contact  of  women,  and  we  sprinkle  it  seven  days 
^upon  tho  woman  who  has  an  issue  upon  her. 
The  woman  who  is  delivered  of  a  boy,  separates 
only  forty-one  days  ;  and  eighty  if  it  be  a  girl  r 
the  circumcision  is  made  exactly  on  the  eighth 
day  after  the  birth,  without  deferring  it  one  sin- 
gle day,  as  do  the  Jews.  We  purify  ourselves 
from  the  defilements  contracted  in  sleep,  and 
we  touch  non©  of  the  unclean  things  specified 


SAMARITAN  EPISTLE. 


357 


in  the  law  without  washing  in  clean  water.  We 
offer  to  God  the  fat  of  the  victim,  and  give  the 
priest  the  shoulder,  the  jaw,  and  the  ventricle. 

It  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  many  a  niece,  or  a 
cousin,  as  is  done  by  the  Jews.  We  believe  in 
Moses,  and  in  Mount  Gerizirn.  W^e  have 
priests  of  the  race  of  Levi,  descended  in  a  right 
line  from  Aaron  and  Phineas.  We  are  all  of 
the  tribe  of  Joseph,  by  Ephraim,  Manasses  ; 
and  of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  Our  habitation  is  in 
the  holy  city  of  Sichem,  and  at  Gaza  ;  we  have 
a  copy  of  the  law  written  in  the  time  of  grace, 
in  which  we  read  these  words  :  i,  Abishai,  the 
son  of  Phineas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of 
Aaron,  have  tvritten  this  copy  at  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle,  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  the  people 
oflsraeVs  entrance  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  upon 
its  frontiers.  We  read  this  law  in  Hebrew, 
which  is  the  holy  tongue,  and  do  nothing  but 
according  to  the  commands  of  God,  given  us 
by  Moses,  the  son  of  Amram,  our  prophet,  upon 
whom  be  peace  for  ever  and  ever.  We  give 
you  notice,  you  that  are  our  brethren,  children 
of  Israel,  that  R.  Huntington,  an  uncircumcised 
man,  is  arrived  here  from  Europe,  and  has  ac- 
quainted us  that  you  are  a  great  people,  com- 
posed of  men  pure  and  holy  like  ourselves,  and 
that  you  have  sent  him  to  desire  of  us  a  copy  of 
the  law;  to  whom  we  would  not  give  credit, 
till  he  had  written  before  us  some  characters  of 
the  holy  language  ;  in  order  to  assure  you  that 
we  have  the  same  Mosaic  religion  that  you  pro- 
fess, and  if  we  had  not  been  willing  to  oblige 


358       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


you,  we  should  not  have  sent  a  copy  of  the  law 
by  the  hands  of  the  uncircumcised,  for  that  is 
a  reproach  to  us.  Nevertheless  we  have  com- 
mitted it  to  him,  with  two  other  httle  books, 
that  we  might  not  absolutely  deny  your  request. 
We  also  conjure  you  in  the  name  of  the  living 
God,  not  to  deny  ours,  and  to  tell  us  what  reli- 
gion you  are  of?  Tell  us  what  is  the  language 
you  speak,  the  city  you  live  in,  the  king  that 
governs  you,  and  what  religion  he  professes? 
Have  ye  any  priests  of  the  race  of  Phineas  ? 
Have  ye  only  one  priest  ?  In  the  name  of  God 
tell  us  the  truth,  without  any  shadow  of  dissimu- 
lation ;  and  send  us  a  copy  of  the  law,  as  we 
have  sent  you  ours.  Send  us  also  some 
learned  men,  some  prophets,  some  persons  of 
repute,  and  especially  some  descendant  of  Phi- 
neas ;  for  know  that  God  has  chosen  us  chil- 
dren of  Israel  to  be  his  people,  and  to  live  at 
Gerizim,  according  to  what  he  has  said,  Ye  shall 
seek  their  habitation,  and  shall  go  there.  He 
has  said  also.  You  shall  keep  three  feasts  every 
year  ;  the  males  shall  rejoice  three  times  a  year 
before  the  Lord.  Know  also,  that  all  the  pro- 
phets are  buried  in  the  territory  of  Sichem  :  our 
father  Joseph,  Eleazar,  Ithamar,  Phineas, 
Joshua,  Caleb,  the  seventy  elders,  with  Eldad, 
and  Medad. 

If  you  are  willing  to  oblige  us,  acquaint  us 
whether  you  are  devoted  to  Moses,  and  his 
law,  to  Gerizim  and  the  house  of  God;  and 
send  us  some  persons,  without  being  concerned 
about  the  length  of  the  journey.    Do  not  in- 


SAMARITAN  EPISTLE. 


359 


trust  a  Jew,  for  they  hate  us.  If  you  send  us  any 
deputy,  give  us  notice  of  it  by  some  friend.  If 
ye  have  the  book  of  Joshua,  and  any  Uturgy, 
send  us  that  also. 

Tell  us  what  your  law  is.  As  for  us,  we 
call  the  law  what  begins  with  the  first  word 
of  Genesis,  (hmtn-u)  and  ends  with  the  last  of 
Deuteronomy,  Cause  all  this  to  be 

copied  for  us  in  the  holy  tongue,  and  tell  us 
by  what  name  you  gol  We  adjure  you  by 
the  name  of  the  living  God,  not  to  suffer  a  year 
to  run  over  your  heads  without  giving  us  an  an- 
swer. In  the  meantime,  we  bless  God,  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  we  implore  his 
mercy  and  his  justice,  to  instruct  you  in  all  that 
can  please  him,  and  to  guide  you  in  the  good 
way,  amen.  May  he  preserve  you  and  deliver 
you  from  the  hands  of  your  enemies,  and  gather 
you  together  from  your  dispersions  into  the  land 
of  your  fathers,  through  the  merits  of  Moses. 
We  add,  that  this  is  our  faith  :  we  beUeve 
in  God,  in  Moses  his  servant,  in  the  holy  law, 
in  Mount  Gerizim,  the  house  of  God,  and  in  the 
day  of  vengeance  and  peace.  Blessed  for  ever 
be  our  God,  and  let  his  peace  rest  upon  Moses, 
the  son  of  Amram,  the  righteous,  perfect,  pure, 
and  faithful  prophet.  We  have  written  this 
letter  at  Sichem,  near  Gerizim,  the  15th  day  of 
the  sixth  month,  which  is  the  27th  day  of  the 
lunar  month,  in  the  6111th  year  of  the  creation 
of  the  world,  according  to  the  Greeks  ;  the 
second  from  the  year  of  rest.  This  year  the 
seventh  month  will  begin  th»  fourth  of  Elul,  ac- 


360       MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


cording  to  the  Greeks  ;  and  the  next  year  is 
the  3411th  from  the  entrance  into  the  land  of 
Canaan.    God  be  blessed. 

May  this  letter  by  the  help  of  God  arrive  into 
the  city  England,  to  the  synagogue  of  the  Sama- 
ritan children  of  Israel,  whom  God  preserve. 
It  is  written  by  the  synagogue  of  Israel,  dwell- 
ing at  Sichem.  "  Mechad,  the  son  of  Jacob,  a 
descendant  of  Ephraim,  the  son  of  Joseph,  was 
the  secretary." 

The  Samaritan  Pentateuch  which  it  appears 
from  the  above  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Huntington 
(then  chaplain  to  the  Turkey  company  at  Alep- 
po, and  afterward  bishop  of  Rapho  in  Ireland) 
had  requested  from  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Samaritans  dwelling  in  England,  is  Cod.  65,  in 
Kennicott's  collection.  Mr.  H.  had  made  it 
a  present  to  Abp.  Marsh.  It  seems  it  had  been 
highly  prized  by  its  Samaritan  possei^sor  ;  for, 
says  Mr.  Huntington,  in  an  epistle  to  Ludolf, 
He  had  it  in  his  bosom,  suspended  from  his  neck. 
Kennicott  supposes  it  to  have  been  written 
about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.  The 
33d  and  34th  chapters  of  Deuteronomy  are 
supplied  in  this  manuscript  by  JVlarcab  ben 
Yacoub,  the  writer  of  the  above  epistle.  The 
manuscript  is  in  the  12mo.  form. 

In  the  year  1790,  I  met  with  an  Epistle 
from  the  Samaritans  at  Sichem  to  the  Samari- 
tans of  England,"  in  Marsh's  Library,  St.  Pa- 
trick's, Dublin,  neatly  written  in  a  very  legible 
Samaritan  character  upon  paper  ;  it  is  pio  ably 
the  same  with  that  mentioned  above  :  I  began 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  JEWS.  361 


to  transcribe  it  as  a  curiosity,  but  could  not 
find  opportunity  to  finish  it.  It  is  directed  in 
the  following  manner  : — 

Laedeth  benee  yisrael  hashemereem  hashoken- 
eem  baair  angeland  :  "  To  the  congregation  of 
the  children  of  Israel,  the  Samaritans  dwelling 
in  the  city  England."  I  mention  this  circum- 
stance here,  that  any  of  the  literati  who  are 
curious  in  oriental  matters  may  know  the  resi- 
dence of  such  a  curiosity,  and  consult  it  when 
opportunity  may  offer.  If  my  recollection  be 
correct,  a  part  of  the  epistle  is  accompanied 
with  a  Latin  translation. 

For  farther  information  relative  to  this  people, 
I  must  refer  the  reader  to  Prideaux's  Connex- 
ions, as  quoted  above,  to  Ludolps  and  Hunt- 
ington^s  Letters,  and  to  Basnage^s  History  of 
the  JeivL  Whether  any  remains  of  this  very 
ancient  sect  of  mongrel  Jews  be  now  in  exist- 
ence at  Sichem  or  elsewhere,  1  have  not  been 
able  to  learn. 


CHAPTER  X.' 

State  of  the  modem  Jews — Their  Liturgy, 

There  is  some  reason  to  fear  that  many  Jews 
in  the  present  day  have  drank  deeply  into  the  in- 
fidel spirit  of  the  times,  and  no  longer  receive 
the  wr  tings  of  the  Old  Testament  as  divinely 
inspired.  A  Jewish  rabbi,  a  man  of  extensive 
24 


352 


MAxNI^EPvS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


information,  and  considerable  learning,  Fately 
observed  to  me,  that  "  as  Moses  had  to  do  with 
a  grossly  ignorant,  stupid,  and  headstrong  peo- 
ple, he  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  a  pious 
fraud,  and  pretend  that  the  laws  he  gave  them 
were  sent  to  him  by  the  Creator  of  all  things  ; 
and  that  all  the  ancient  legislators  and  formers 
of  new  states,  who  had  a  barbarous  people  to 
govern,  were  obliged  to  act  in  the  same  way, 
such  as  Menu,  Numa,  Lycurgus,  Mohammed, 
&c  ;  and  that  the  time  was  very  near  at  hand,, 
when  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  civilized  world 
would  be  of  one  religion,  viz.  Deism,  which  he 
said  was  a  system  of  truth  compounded  from 
Judaism,  Mohammedanism,  Christianity,  and 
the  writings  of  the  ancient  heathen  philoso- 
phers When  I  expressed  my  surprise  at 
hearing  a  Jeiv  talk  thus,  and  asked  him  if  any 
of  his  brethren  were  of  the  same  mind,  he  an- 
swered with  considerable  emotion,  "  Yes,  every 
intelligent  Jew  in  Europe  who  reflects  on  the 
subject,  is  of  the  same  mind."  If  this  rabbi's 
testimony  be  true,  the  children  of  Jacob  are  de- 
plorably fallen  indeed  !  And  from  the  manner 
in  which  they  conduct  what  they  call  ike  icor- 
ship  of  God,  who  would  suppose  they  either 
credit  his  word,  or  believe  in  his  existence  ?  It 
cannot  be  called  even  a  solemn  mockery  ;  the 
irreligion  of  it  is  too  barefaced  to  have  any  pre- 
tensions to  so/emm7?/,  or  indeed  e\ en  to  de  CO  nim.'^ 

*  A  friend  of  mine  went  into  the  synagogue  in  Duke's 
place,  lloundsditch,  Lontlon,  to  oljserve  tlie  niclhod  in 
vvhicji  Lhcy  conducted  their  worship:  happcnin.c:  to  conic 


THEIR  LITURGY- 


3G3 


Having  brought  the  work  thus  tar,  I  think  it 
proper  to  conclude  the  whole  with  some  ac- 
count of  the  Jewish  liturgy. 

In  former  times  their  synagogue  service  was 
composed  of  prayers,  reading  the  Scriptures 
and  expounding  them.  At  present  the  latter  is 
not  generally  regarded.  At  first  their  prayers 
were  very  short  and  simple.  Our  Lord's  prayer 
is  a  model  of  this  kind,  and  seems  to  have  been 
taken  from  some  of  the  Jewish  forms  extant  in 
his  time  :  at  least,  every  petition  of  it  is  found  in 
the  ancient  Jewish  writings  :  but  even  then 
there  were  some  hypocritical  Pharisees  who 
made  long  prayers^  and  these  our  Lord  most 
cuttingly  reprehends.  The  liturgy  of  the  mo- 
dern Jews  is  greatly  increased  in  size,  which 
makes  their  synagogue  service  long  and  tedious, 
and  the  rubric  by  which  they  regulate  it,  is  very 
intricate,  perplexed,  and  encumbered  with  many 
rites  and  ceremonious  observances  ;  in  all  of 
which,  says  Dr.  Prideaux,  they  equal  if  not 
exceed  both  the  superstition  and  length  of  the 
popish  service.* 

The  most  solemn  part  of  their  prayers  are 

near  a  Jew  who  was  deeply  engaged  in  loudly  chanting 
his  part  of  the  sacred  oliice,  he  unlTortunately  trod  on  his 
toes  ;  he  instantly  suspended  his  reading,  and  with  a 
countenance  as  fierce  as  a  tiger  ciied,  "  —  your  eyes,  can't 
you  see  ?"  and  then  recollecting  his  piety  anew,  he  imme- 
diately resumed  his  sacred  employment,  and  with  the 
same  devotion  as  before,  continued  to  accompany  his  bre- 
thren, having  lost  but  about  tioo  seconds  in  pronouncing 
his  execration. 

+  Maimonides  in  Tephillah.  and  Prideaux'sCon.  vol.2, 
p.  5:58. 


364        MAr^iNERS  OF  THE  .ISRAELITES. 


those  which  they  call  nni:'y  r\iW  Shemonch  Es- 
reh.  i.  e.  The  eighteen  prayers.'^  These, 
they  say,  were  composed  by  Ezra  and  the  great 
synagogue  :  and  to  them  rab,  Gamaliel^  a  Httle 
before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  added  the 
nineteenth  against  the  Christians,  who  are  intend- 
ed under  the  names  of  ajjostales  and  heretics. 
These  prayers  Tire  allowed  to  be  very  ancient,  for 
mention  is  made  of  them  in  the  JMishnah,  (Bera- 
choth,  c.  iv,  s.  3,)  as  old  settled  forms  ;  and 
they  were  doubtless  (at  least  the  major  part 
of  them)  used  in  our  Saviour's  time.f  That 
which  was  formerly  the  nineteenth  prayer  is  now 
the  tivelfth  in  the  order  in  which  they  stand  in 
the  Jewish  liturgies.  The  first  part,  or  rather 
the  precatory  part  of  each  article,  was  pronounc- 
ed by  the  priest  :  the  last  or  eucharistical  part 
was  the  response  of  the  people. 

1.  Blessed  be  thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  the 
God  of  our  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the 
God  of  Isaac,  the  God  of  Jacob,  the  great  God, 
powerful  andtremendous,  the  high  God,  bounti- 
fully dispensing  benefits,  the  Creator  and  possess- 
or of  the  universe,  who  rememberest  the  good 
deeds  of  our  fathers,  and  in  thy  love  sendesta  Re- 
deemer to  those  who  are  descended  from  them, 
for  thy  name's  sake,  O  King,  our  Lord  and 
helper,  our  Saviour  and  our  shield.  Blessed  art 
thou,  0  Lord,  who  art  the  shield  of  Abraham. 

+  Thc  10,  11,  14,  and  17,  seem  to  refer  to  the  dc^ 
struction  of  J  erusalem  ;  and  consecj^uently  to  have  been 
composed  after  that  period.  Yet  it  is  probable  that  these 
niay  refer  to  ihe  calamities  of  more  ancient  times. 

i  Sec  Fridciiux. 


THÊIR  LITURGY. 


365 


2.  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  powerful  for  ever, 
thou  raisest  the  dead  to  life,  and  art  mighty  to 
save  ;  thou  sendest  down  the  dew,  stillest  the 
winds,  and  makest  the  rain  to  come  down  upon 
the  earth,  and  sustainest  with  thy  beneficence 
all  that  are  therein  ;  and  of  thy  abundant  mercy 
makest  the  dead  again  to  hve.  Thou  raisest 
up  those  who  fall  ;  thou  healest  the  sick  ;  thou 
loosest  them  who  are  bound,  anci  makest  good 
thy  word  of  truth  to  those  who  sleep  in  the  dust- 
Who  is  to  be  compared  to  thee,  O  thou  Lord  of 
might  !  and  who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  our  King, 
who  killest  and  makest  alive,  and  makest  sal- 
vation to  spring  as  the  grass  in  the  field  !  Thou 
art  faithful  to  make  the  dead  to  rise  again  to  life. 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  who  raisest  the  dead 
again  to  life  ! 

"  3.  Thou  art  holy,  and  thy  name  is  holy, 
and  thy  saints  do  praise  thee  every  day,  selah. 
For  a  great  King  and  a  holy  art  thou,  O  God. 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord  God  most  holy  ! 

4.  Thou  of  thy  mercy  givest  knowledge 
unto  men,  and  teachest  them  understanding  : 
give  graciously  unto  us  knowledge,  wisdom,  and 
understanding.  Blessed  art  thou,  0  Lord,  who 
graciously  givest  knowledge  unto  men  ! 

5.  Bring-  us  back,  O  our  Father,  to  the  ob- 
servance of  thy  law,  and  make  us  to  adhere  to 
thy  precepts,  and  do  thou,  O  our  King,  draw  us 
near  to  thy  worship,  and  convert  us  to  thee  by 
perfect  repentance  in  thy  presence.  Blessed 
art  thou,  O  Lord,  who  vouchsafest  to  receive  us 
by  repentance  ! 


36Ô 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 


6.  Be  thou  merciful  unto  us,  O  our  Father, 
for  we  have  sinned  ;  pardon  us,  O  our  King, 
for  we  have  transgressed  against  thee.  For 
thou  art  a  God,  good  and  ready  to  pardon. 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord  most  gracious,  who 
multipliest  thy  mercies  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins  ! 

7.  Look,  we  beseech  thee,  upon  our 
afflictions.  Be  thou  on  our  side  in  all  our  con- 
tentions, and  plead  thou  our  cause  in  all  our  liti- 
gations ;  and  make  haste  to  redeem  ns  with  a 
perfect  redemption,  for  thy  name's  sake.  For 
thou  art  our  God,  our  King,  and  a  strong  Re- 
deemer. Blessed  art  thou,  0  Lord,  the  Re- 
deemer of  Israel  ! 

*'  8.  Heal  us,  0  Lord  our  God,  and  we  shall 
be  healed  ;  save  us,  and  we  shall  be  saved. 
For  thou  art  our  praise.  Bring  unto  us  sound 
health,  and  a  perfect  remedy  for  all  our  infirmi- 
ties, and  for  all  our  griefs,  and  for  all  our  wounds. 
For  thou  art  a  God  who  healest,  and  art  mer- 
ciful. Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  who 
curest  the  diseases  of  thy  people  Israel  ! 

"  9.  Bless  us,  O  Lord  our  God,  in  every  work 
of  our  hands,  and  bless  unto  us  the  seasons  of 
the  year,  and  give  us  the  dew  and  the  rain  to  be  a 
blessing  unto  us,  upon  the  face  of  all  our  land, 
and  satiate  the  world  with  thy  blessings,  and 
send  down  moisture  upon  every  part  of  the 
earth  that  is  habitable.  Blessed  art  thou,  O 
Lord,  wTio  givest  thy  blessing  to  the  years  ! 

10.  Gather  u«  together  by  the  sound  of  the 
great  trumpet,  to  the  enjoyment  of  our  liberty, 
and  lift  up  thy  ensign  to  call  together  all  the  cap- 


THEIR  LITURGY 


367 


tivity,  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth  into  our 
own  land.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  who 
gatherest  together  the  exiles  of  the  people  of 
Israel. 

"11.  Restore  unto  us  our  judges  as  at  the  first, 
and  our  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning;  and 
remove  far  from  us  affliction  and  trouble,  and  do 
thou  only  reign  over  us  in  benignity,  and  in 
mercy,  and  in  righteousness,  and  in  justice. — 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord  our  King,  who  lovest 
righteousness  and  justice  ! 

"  12,  *  Let  there  be  no  hope  to  them  who 
apostatize  from  the  true  religion  ;  and  let  here- 
tics, how  many  soever  they  be,  all  perish  as  in 
a  moment.  And  let|  the  kingdom  of  pride  be 
speedily  rooted  out,  and  broken  in  our  days. 
Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  who  destroy- 
est  the  wicked,  and  bringest  down  the  proud  ! 

*'  13.  Upon  the  pious  and  the  just,  and  uponj 
the  proselytes  of  justice,  and  upon  the  remnant 
of  thy  people  of  the  house  of  Israel,  let  thy  mer- 
cies be  moved,  O  Lord  our  God,  and  give  a 

*  This  is  the  prayer  which  was  added  by  rabbi  Gama- 
liel against  the  Christians,  or  as  others  say  by  rabbi 
Samuel  the  little,  who  \va.s  one  of  his  scholars. 

t  The  Roman  empire. 

I  The  proselytes  of  justice  were  such  as  received  the 
whole  Jewish  law,  and  conformed  in  all  things  to  their 
religion.  Other  proselytes  there  were  who  conformed 
only  to  the  Seven  precepts  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  and 
these  were  called  proselytes  of  the  gate,  because  they 
worshipped  only  in  the  outer  court  of  the  temple,  and 
were  admitted  no  farther  than  the  gate  leading  into  the 
inner  courts.  Of  all  these  we  have  already  spoken,  pp. 
J02,  2G2.  ^ 


368        MANNERS  OP  THE  ISRAELITES. 


good  reward  unto  all  who  faithfully  put  their 
trust  in  thy  name,  and  grant  us  our  portion  with 
them,  and  for  ever  let  us  not  be  ashamed,  for  we 
put  our  trust  in  thee.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord, 
who  art  the  support  and  confidence  of  the  just  ! 

"14.  Dwell  thou  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem 
thy  city,  as  thou  hast  promised  ;  build  it  with  a 
building  to  last  for  ever,  and  do  this  speedily 
even  in  our  days.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord, 
who  buildest  Jerusalem  Î 

"  15.  Make  the  offspring  of  David  thy  ser- 
vant speedily  to  grow  up,  and  flourish,  and  let 
our  horn  be  exalted  in  thy  salvation.  For  we 
hope  for  thy  salvation  every  day.  Blessed  art 
thou,  O  Lord,  who  makest  the  horn  of  our  salva- 
tion to  flourish! 

*'  16.  Hear  our  voice,  O  Lord  our  God  :  most 
merciful  Father,  pardon  and  have  mercy  upon 
us,  and  accept  of  our  prayers  with  thy  mercy 
and  favour,  and  send  us  not  away  from  thy 
presence,  O  our  King,  For  thou  hearest  with 
mercy  the  prayer  of  thy  people  Israel.  Blessed 
art  thou,  O  Lord,  who  hearest  prayer  ! 

"  17.  Be  thou  well  pleased,  O  Lord  our  God, 
with  thy  people  Israel,  and  have  regard  unto 
their  prayers  ;  restore  thy  worship  to*  the  inner 
*  i,  e.  The  adytum  tempU,  which  in  the  temple  of  Je- 
rusalem was  the  holy  of  holies,  into  which  none  ever 
entered  but  the  high  priest  once  a  year,  on  the  great  day 
of  expiation.  From  this  place,  after  the  Babylonish 
captivity,  were  wanting  the  ark,  the  mercy  seat,  the 
Shechinah  of  the  Divine  presence,  and  the  urim  and 
thummim,  which  causing  an  imperfection  in  their  wor- 
ship in  respect  of  what  it  was  fomerly,  a  restoration 
of  them  seems  to  be  what  15  prayed  for  in  this  place. 


THETR  LITURGY. 


369 


part  of  thy  house,  and  make  haste  with  favour 
and  love  to  accept  of  the  burnt  sacrifices  of 
Israel,  and  their  prayers  ;  and  let  the  worship  of 
Israel,  thy  people,  be  continually  well  pleasing 
unto  thee.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  who  re- 
storest  thy  Divine  presence  to  Zion  ! 

"  18.  We  will  give  thanks  unto  thee  with 
praise.  For  thou  art  the  Lord  our  God,  thô 
God  of  our  fathers  for  ever  and  ever.  Thou  art 
our  rock,  and  the  rock  of  our  life,  and  the  shield 
of  our  salvation.  To  all  generations  will  we 
give  thanks  unto  thee,  and  declare  thy  praise, 
because  of  our  life  which  is  always  in  thy  hands, 
and  because  of  thy  signs,  which  are  every  day 
with  us,  and  because  of  thy  wonders,  and  mar- 
vellous loving  kindnesses,  which  are  morning, 
and  evening,  and  night,  before  us.  Thou  art 
good,  for  thy  mercies  are  not  consumed  ;  thou 
art  merciful,  for  thy  loving  kindnesses  fail  not. 
For  ever  we  hope  in  thee.  And  for  all  these 
mercies  be  thy  name,  O  King,  blessed,  and  ex- 
alted, and  lifted  up  on  high  for  ever  and  ever  ; 
and  let  all  that  live  give  thanks  unto  thee. 
Selah.  And  let  them  in  truth  and  sincerity  praise 
thy  name,  O  God  of  our  salvation,  and  our  help. 
Selah.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  whose  name 
is  good,  and  to  whom  it  is  fitting  alway  to  give 
praise. 

*'  19.  Give  peace,  beneficence,  benediction, 
grace,  benignity,  and  mercy  unto  us,  and  to 
Israel  thy  people.  Bless  us,  our  Father,  even 
all  of  us  together  as  one  man,  with  the  light 
of  thy  countenance.    For  in  the  light  of  thy 


370         MANNERS  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

countenance  hast  thou  given  unto  us,  O  Lord 
our  God,  the  law  of  life,  and  love,  and  benig- 
nity, and  righteousness,  and  blessing,  and 
mercy,  and  life,  and  peace.  And  let  it  seem 
good  in  thine  eyes  to  bless  thy  people  Israel 
with  thy  peace  at  all  times,  and  in  every  mo- 
ment. Blessed  art  thou,  O  Lord,  who  blessest 
thy  people  Israel  with  peace.  Amen,'^ 


God  hath  given  them  the  spirit  of  slumber  ; 
eyes  that  they  should  not  see,  and  ears  that 
they  should  not  hear  unto  this  day. 

"  Behold  the  goodness  and  severity  of  God  ; 
on  them  who  fell  severity,  but  toward  thee 
goodness,  if  thou  continue  in  his  goodness, 
otherwise  thou  also  shait  be  cut  off, 

"  Blindness  m  part  is  happened  to  Israel, 
until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in. 
And  so,  ALL  Israel  shall  be  saved  :  for 
there  shall  come  out  of  Zion  the  Deliverer, 
and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob." 
Paul,  Rom.  xi. 

Aspice,  VENTURO  lœtentur  ut  omnia  seclo  : 
O  mihi  tarn  longœ  maneat  pars  ultima  vitce, 
Spirifus  et  quantum  sat  erit  tua  dicere  facta  ! 

TALIA  SEC;.A  CURRITE  !* 


*  ViRG.  BucoL  iv. 


INDEX. 


Abraham,  a  sort  of  king,  32  ;  numerous  servants,  34  ; 

waits  on  his  guests,  38. 
Adam,  probably  the  first  who  offered  a  sacrifice,  297  ; 

note. 

Administration  of  justice  among  the  Israelites,  205, 
Adoring,  what,  152. 

Age,  the  first  foundation  of  authority,  202. 
Agriculture,  see  Husbandry. 

Alienation  of  lands  revoked  every  fifty  years  among  the 

Israelites,  69. 
Altars  erected  for  memorials  of  great  events,  31. 
Altaschith,  what,  142. 

Angel  of  the  Church,  what  it  signifies,  329,  in  the  note. 
Anointing,  reason  of  it,  86. 

Animals  used  in  sacrifice,  301,  302;  manner  of  killing 

such,  302  ;  flaying,  salting,  &c,  303,  304  ;  offered  at 

the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  305. 
Animals,  different,  eaten  and  abstained  from,  among 

different  nations,  93,  94. 
Apostles  among  the  Jews,  their  office,  247. 
Arms,  all  persons  capable  of  using  them,  ecclesiastics  as 

well  as  laymen,  made  up  the  ancient  mihtia,  213; 

what  the  ancient  arms  consisted  of,  214;  not  worn  by 

the  Israelites  except  on  duty,  215. 
Arts,  curious  ones  among  the  Hebrews,  73,  74. 
Artificers,  fe^r  among  the  Israelites  till  the  time  of  Da-» 

vid,  77,  78  ;  many  of  the  Greek  heroes  such,  78. 
Arurc  of  land,  how  much,  63. 
Asmoneans,  see  Maccabees. 
Athenians,  how  at  first  divided,  43. 
Ayeleth  Shahar,  what,  141. 

Babylon,  the  fertility  of  its  plains,  54. 
Bakers,  when  first  at  Rome,  75, 


372 


INDEX. 


Balsam  tree  only  found  anciently  in  Palestine,  60. 

Baptism  administered  to  proselytes,  265  ;  how  perform- 
ed, 265  ;  how  administered  to  women,  268. 

Bathing,  why  frequent  in  the  east,  85. 

Beards  long,  worn  by  the  Israelites,  85. 

Bedsteads  in  the  east  often  of  ivory,  and  placed  against 
the  wall,  87. 

Bells  in  churches,  of  modern  invention,  172. 

Bissextile,  how  computed,  292,  293. 

Books  now  lost  referred  to  in  the  Old  Testament,  122, 
123. 

Bramins  neither  kill  nor  eat  animals,  95. 

Bread,  how  much  per  day  a  man  eats,  63  ;  very  little 
bread  kept  among  the  Israelites,  75  ;  the  w.ord  used 
in  Scripture  means  all  sorts  of  victuali,  92. 

Breastplate,  327,  328. 

Britons,  ancient,  their  dress,  26. 

Burial,  the  manner  of  it  among  the  Israelites,  160,  161  ; 

no  religious  ceremony  used  at  it,  161. 
Byssus,  what  it  was,  83. 

'Cakes  of  libation,  304  ;  called  nakudeenif  92. 
Calends,  what,  292. 

Canaan,  the  Israelites  prohibited  from  marrying  with  his 
descendants,  40, 104  ;  Canaanites  the  same  with  Pheni- 
cians,  73  ;  their  tribes,  271,  272. 

Canopies,  the  use  of  them  in  the  east,  87. 

Captivity  of  the  ten  tribes  above  a  hundred  years  before 
that  of  the  other  two,  226  ;  the  consequences  of  cap- 
tivity anciently,  and  of  Israel  and  Judah  in  particu- 
lar, 226  ;  the  restoration  of  Judah  from  it,  228  ;  much 
reformed  by  it,  230  ;  how  long  after  it  before  they 
could  rebuild  their  city  and  temple,  231. 

Castration  of  cattle  prohibited  to  the  Israelites,  70. 

Cato,  the  censor,  writes  of  country  affairs,  52  ;  his  opin- 
ion of  the  pastoral  life,  36  ;  a  maxim  in  his  book  the 
same  with  one  in  Prov.  xxiv,  27,  p.  67. 

Cavalry  of  little  use  in  mountainous  countries,  216  ;  for- 
bidden to  the  Israelites,  though  much  used  in  Egypt, 
215  ;  numerous,  however,  in  Solomon's  time,  216. 

Ceremonies,  some  borrowed  from  the  Jewish  Church,  265. 

Cejosyria  described,  279. 


INDEX. 


373 


Chazan,  who,  329. 

Children  of  this  world — of  darkness — light,  &c,  whence 
the  expressions,  42  ;  increase  of  them  desired  by  the 
Israelites,  113;  how  numerous  in  some  families,  114. 

Chimneys  among  the  ancients  little  known,  90. 

Chlamys  of  the  Greeks,  what,  81,  83. 

Christians  eat  too  often,  97. 

Church,  whence  the  word,  205. 

Cicero,  what  he  means  by  Jewish  gold,  247. 

Circumcision,  practised  by  many  nations  beside  Jews, 
102  ;  performed  in  private  houses  without  the  ministry 
of  priests,  112  ;  the  seal  of  the  covenant,  264. 

Cities  in  Judea,  the  habitation  of  labourers,  and  very 
numerous,  207  ;  their  gates  the  seats  of  justice,  206  ; 
at  first  built  by  wicked  men,  35. 

Cloaks,  a  sort  of  military  dress,  82: 

Clothes  of  the  ancients  injudiciously  represented  by  most 
painters,  SO  ;  fashions  of  them  little  changed  in  the 
east,  81  ;  ill  consequences  of  their  change,  82  ;  of 
white  colour  most  in  use  among  the  Israelites,  Greeks, 
and  Romans,  83  ;  made  generally  among  them  all 
very  plain,  83  ;  of  the  women  more  sumptuous,  85. 

Concubines,  though  generally  slaves,  yet  to  keep  them 
not  reckoned  disreputable,  117  ;  ill  consequences  from 
the  use  of  ihem,  117,  US. 

Confession  of  faith,  335,  336. 

Corban,  what,  311. 

Council  of  seventy-two  and  the  high  priest  at  Jerusalem, 
and  of  twenty- three  in  the  smaller  cities,  their  power, 
206  ;  kept  their  court  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  206  ; 
continued  while  the  Jews  were  subject  to  the  Persians, 
232  ;  and  to  the  Romans,  247. 

Country  people,  the  cause  of  their  misery,  49. 

Courts  of  judicature  among  the  Romans  at  the  forum,  of 
the  Israelites  at  the  city  gates,  in  feudal  times  at  the 
courts  of  lords'  castles,  207. 

Craftsmen,  valley  of,  77. 

Crusades  laid  waste  the  Holy  Land,  59. 

Cubit,  two  sorts  mentioned  in  Scripture,  165. 

Day,  how  divided  by  the  Hebrews,  Greeks,  and  Ro- 
mans, 2S3. 


374 


INDEX. 


David,  his  riches,  220. 

Dancing  in  use  among  the  Israelites,  129. 

Daughters  of  the  patriarchs  bred  to  iiard  labour,  36. 

Death  of  the  patriarchs,  how  described  in  Scripture,  39. 

Deca polis  described,  277. 

Deism  of  a  Jewish  rabbi,  362. 

Diet  of  the  ancient  Israelites,  92. 

Divorce,  ill  consequences  of  it,  117  ;  when  first  heard  of 

at  Rome,  118. 
Dress  of  the  Hebrews,  79  ;  of  the  English,  26,  27. 

Eastern  fashions  change  little,  82  ;  their  compliments 
more  like  ours  than  those  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
are,  152  ;  play  at  no  games  of  hazard,  156. 

Edom,  what  it  signifies,  274. 

Egypt,  physic  supposed  to  have  been  invented  there,  39  j 
Avhat  food  the  Egyptians  abstained  from,  93  ;  Solon, 
Pythagoras,  and  jPlato,  studied  there,  233  ;  becoming- 
an  addition  to  the  Roman  power  hastened  the  ruin  of 
the  Jewish,  243. 

Elders  of  Israel,  the  Jewish  sanhedrim,  202,  247  ;  the 
seat  of  the  elders,  what  meant  by  it,  204  •  number  of, 
204. 

Elijah,  meaning  of  the  name,  44. 

Embalming  practised  by  the  Israelites  as  well  as  Egyp- 
tians, 181. 

Eponymi,  what,  43. 

Ephod  described,  327. 

Equinox,  what,  292,  294. 

Essenes,  their  manner  of  life,  252. 

Ethnarchs,  what  meant  by  them,  247. 

Eumeus  described  by  Homer  making  his  own  shoes,  76. 

Eunuchs,  servants  about  the  king's  person,  without  de- 
noting personal  imperfection,  212. 

Evenings,  two,  what,  282. 

Fashions,  see  Clothes, 

Fathers  among  the  Israelites  had  power  of  life  and  death 
over  their  children,  200  ;  but  under  the  direction  of 
the  magistrate,  201  ;  the  same  law  practised  at  Athens, 
201. 

Fxsis  proclaimed  by  sound  of  trumpet,  as  well  as  feasts, 


INDEX. 


375 


174  5  how  many  stated  ones,' 175;  Mohammedan, 
179. 

Feasts,  rehgious,  the  number  of  them  among  the  Israel- 
ites, 173,  194;  were  times  of  general  joy,  173. 

Feet,  custom  of  washing  them  at  visits,  85  ;  to  water  and 
to  cover  the  feet,  what  meant  by  it,  153. 

Fireplaces,  90. 

First  fruits,  312. 

Fish,  scarce  eaten  in  the  most  ancients  times  either  by 

Israelites  or  Grecians,  93. 
Fieury,  Abbé,  his  life,  13-21. 
Forces,  see  Militia. 

Fruiis  brought  into  Europe  from  Asia  and  Africa  have 

degenerated,  60. 
Fruitfulness  of  the  promised  land,  58-61. 
Funerals  among  the  Hebre  ws,  160,  162. 

Gadara  described,  278. 
Galilees,  two  of  them,  275. 

Galileans  were  the  first  who  received  the  Gospel,  276. 

Gahleo  imprisoned  for  asserting  the  true  system  of  the 
world,  192,  note. 

Games  of  Hazard  unknown  to  the  Israelites,  and  forbid- 
den by  the  Arabians  to  this  day,  156. 

Gate  of  the  city,  courts  of  judicature  held  there,  206. 

Genealogies  of  Matthew  and  Luke,  how  reconciled,  115. 

Gcnesareth,  lake  of,  279. 

Germans  introduced  on  this  side  of  the  Rhine  the  love 

of  hunting,  52  ;  and  will  always  retain  it,  249. 
Giîtith,  what,  140. 
Globe  explained,  291. 

Governmeiftt  of  the  Israelites,  what  ihe  form  of  it,  196, 
&c;  of  the  patriar  chs,  lasted  nine  hundred  years,  42. 

Gout,  King  Asa  blamed  for  trusting  in  physicians  to  cure 
it,  100. 

Greek  proper  names  explained,  45. 

Greeks,  ancient,  employed  in  breeding  cattle,  36  ;  seem 
to  have  been  great  eaters,  37  ;  retained  a  great  opinion 
of  husbandry  in  the  height  of  their  politeness,  51  ; 
joined  manufactures  and  trade  to  it,  73  ;  their  wisdom 
and  religion,  186;  their  worship,  188,  189;  improved 
in  sciences  not  till  the  time  of  Alexander,  191. 


376 


INDEX. 


Greek  tongue  learnt  by  the  Jews,  especially  of  Alex- 
andria, 256. 
Greek  and  Gentile,  whence  the  name,  23G. 
Gregorian  Style,  293. 

Habits  of  the  priests,  321  j  habits  of  the  high  priest,  325- 
328. 

Hacamim,  or  Chocamim,  who,  329. 
Handmaids,  who  they  were,  40. 
Hazanim,  who,  247. 

Hebrew,  the  gcniusofthe  language,  121,  122  ;  lost  by  the 

Jews  in  their  captivity,  228. 
Hebrews  by  birth,  261. 

Hecatceus,  a  fragment  of  his  concerning  the  extent  of 

Palestine  explained,  63,  64. 
Heiresses,  obliged  to  marry  within  their  own  tribe  and 

family,  104. 

Hellenists,  who  meant  by  them  in.  Scripture,  236. 
Herod's  reign,  the  last  period  in  which  the  Jews  were 

considerable,  245  ;  his  tetrarchy,  280. 
Hesiod  wrote  a  poem  upon  husbandry,  51  j  his  manner 

of  writing,  135. 
Higgaion,  what,  142. 
High  priest,  see  Priest, 
Hindoos,  their  purifications,  105. 

Historians,  the  priests  only  such  anciently,  133  ;  excel- 
lence of  the  Jewish,  134. 
Holocaust,  what,  306. 

Holy  Land,  names  and  divisions  of,  269  j  why  called 

Palestine,  269. 
Homer  referred  to,  36,  42,  50  j  shows  his  heroes  were 

great  eaters,  37. 
Horse,  see  Cavalry. 

Houses,  and  household  furniture,  in  the  east,  what,  87. 

Hunting  in  more  credit  among  the  moderns  than  the 
ancients  ;  a  barbarous  employment,  53  j  not  followed 
much  by  the  Israelites,  156. 

Husbandry,  the  employment  of  the  patriarchs,  35  ;  and 
of  the  Israelites  afterward,  48-58;  and  of  other  an  - 
cient nations,  58  ;  brought  into  disesteem  by  the  tyran- 
ny of  the  northern  nations,  54  ;  more  useful  than  what 
is  called  learning,  132;  parables  in  the  Gospel  bor- 
rowed from  that  employ,  249. 


INDEX. 


377 


yoîfttry,  the  ri^e  of  it,  184  ;  the  Israehtes  tempted  to  it 
by  their  neighbours,  193  ;  Idols,  whence  called  vmiity 
and  abomination^  239. 

ïdumea  described,  274. 

Inspiration,  how  far  it  attended  the  sacred  writer?,  and 
in  what  sense  to  be  understood,  135. 

Instruments  of  Music  among  the  Hebrews,  account  of, 
137  ;  Hebrew  and  Chaldee  names  of  these,  142. 

Israelites,  whence  their  name,  42  ;  their  country,  see 
Palestine;  divided  into  twelve  tribes,  43;  were  really 
brethren,  43  ;  did  not  intermarry  with  other  nations, 
44  J  titles  amons;  them,  what,  44;  employments,  48, 
&c;  hindered  from  alienating  their  property,  71; 
paid  no  rents  but  the  tenths  and  first  fruits,  70  ;  pro- 
hibited from  castrating  their  cattle,  70;  used  asses 
instead  of  horses,  70  ;  had  but  few  slaves,  and 
little  money,  71;  not  much  addicted  to  trade,  71; 
wanted  artificers  for  arms  and  even  instruments  of 
husbandry,  74  ;  no  bakers  among  them,  75  ;  wore 
their  beards  long,  85  ;  used  originally  to  eat  sitting, 
92  ;  afterward  lying,  92  ;  had  at  first  no  physicians, 
100;  how  far  avoided  strangers,  101,  102;  did  not 
study  languages,  120;  writing  not  common  among 
them,  122  ;  had  no  public  schools,  130  ;  their  govern- 
ment founded  on  arislocracy,  196  ;  fall  into  idolatry, 
and  apply  to  strangers  for  succours,  both  which  brought 
on  their  ruin,  225.   See  Jews, 

Italy,  varied  at  different  periods,  23, 

Jasher,  book  of,  123. 

Jews,  a  name  apjplied  to  the  kingdom  of  Judah  not  til! 
after  the  captivity  of  the  ten  tribes,  226  ;  less  corrup- 
tion in  that  kingdom  than  in  that  of  Israel,  224  ;  what 
numbers  returned  from  their  captivity,  228  ;  how  long 
before  they  rebuilt  their  city  and  temple,  231  ;  when 
they  recovered  themselves,  232  ;  enjoyed  their  own 
laws,  234;  communicated  their  doctrines  to  the  Gre- 
cians, 233  ;  privileges  granted  them  by  several  kings, 
234  ;  when  they  learned  the  Greek  tongue,  236  ;  some 
of  them  writers  in  it,  236  ;  dispersed  in  Asia  and 
Europe,  236;  whence  falsely  reckoned  an  ignorant 
people,  238  ;  under  what  kings  persecuted,  241  ;  take 
25 


378 


INDEX. 


up  arm»  against  the  Syrian  kings,  242  ;  become  con- 
siderable undert  he  Maccabees  for  four-score  years, 
243  ;  harassed  by  different  nations,  and  at  last  subject 
to  the  Romans,  245  ;  became  tax  gatherers,  &c,  con- 
trary to  their  original  institution,  249  ;  many  of  them 
physicians,  250  ;  would  not  pronounce  the  names  of 
false  gods,  124;  think  themselves  obliged  to  kill  the 
Gentiles  Avhenever  they  can,  263,  338. 
Jewish  prohibitions,  utility  of,  24  ;  confession  of  faith, 

334-337;  liturgy  y  361. 
Joel,  meaning  of  the  name,  44. 
Jonath  Elem  Rechokim,  141. 
Jordan,  whence  its  name,  270. 


Jubilee,  the  word  does  not  signify  a  ram's  horn,  172, 
Judaism  could  not  be  embraced  by  eunuchs,  262. 
Judges  governed  those  tribes  only  who  chose  them,  218; 

judges  in  courts  of  judicature,  206. 
Justice,  administration  of,  205. 

King,  desired  by  the  Israelites  as  preferable  to  their  con- 
dition under  judges,  218;  his  standing  forces,  218; 
had  absolute  power  of  life  and  death,  and  of  levying 
tribute,  219  ;  in  what  respect  limited,  219  ;  his  splen- 
dour and  riches,  220, 

Kingdoms,  at  first  small,  33, 

Kinoor,  what,  145. 

Kinyra,  what,  129. 

Kithres,  what,  146. 

Lamech,  the  first  polygamist,  116. 

Lamps,  anciently  used  instead  of  candles,  88  ;  descrip- 
tion of  a  curious  one,  88. 

Languages,  not  studied  by  the  Hebrews  or  ancient 
Greeks,  120. 

Law,  always  read  in  Hebrew,  330. 

Leprosy,  which  sort  meant  in  Scripture,  100. 

Levi,  whole  tribe  of,  dedicated  to  God,  47. 

Lévites,  sophetim  or  judges  ;  and  inferior  officers  of  jus- 
tice^  called  soterim,  chosen  out  of  them,  205. 

Lévites,  estates,  functions,  and  number,  315,  318. 

Levitical  cities,  273, 


Joseph,  remarks  on  his  age,  40. 


INDEX. 


381 


Olympiads,  what,  286. 

Original  sin,  Jewish  opinion  of,  337. 

Painters  injudiciously  represent  the  habits  of  the  ancients, 
80  ;  and  a  priest  present  at  the  ceremony  of  circum- 
cision, 112  ;  by  guess  only  making  David  playing  on 
a  harp,  129. 

Palestine,  whence  its  name,  269  ;  the  advantages  of  its 
situation,  58  ;  whence  its  present  desolation,  59  ;  its 
fertility  formerly,  60  ;  the  number  of  its  inhabitants, 
61  ;  its  contents  of  acres,  and  how  many  men  it  was 
able  to  maintain,  63  ;  its  contents  in  degrees,  65  ;  the 
people  somewhat  supported  by  tributaries,  65. 

Pallium,  what,  79. 

Parnasim,  who,  330. 

Pastoral  life  more  perfect  than  that  of  husbandry,  35  ; 

followed  by  people  of  condition  among  the  Greeks  and 

other  nations,  36  ;  see  Husbandry, 
Pastorals,  their  origin,  36. 

Patriarchs,  explanation  of  the  name,  29  ;  the  advantage 
of  their  longevity,  29  ;  their  very  names  historical,  32  ; 
a  sort  of  kings,  35  ;  their  riches  chiefly  in  cattle,  33  ; 
but  without  hordes  or  hogs,  34  ;  had  slaves,  money, 
and  perfumes,  34  ;  lived  chiefly  in  tents,  35  ;  their 
lives  laborious,  35  ;  their  meals  plain,  and  were  great 
eaters,  38  ;  enjoyed  good  health,  and  attained  to  a 
great  age  ;  their  moderation  with  regard  to  wives,  39. 

Peace  offerings,  309. 

Perfumes  used  by  the  Isï-a elites  before  musk  and  amber- 
grise  were  found  out,  155;  used  sometimes  at  their 
funerals,  160. 

Perea  described,  276,  277. 

Pharisees,  their  principles,  251  j  gave  alms  in  public, 
254. 

Phenicians,  or  Canaanites,  whence  addicted  to  trade,  73. 
Phylacteries,  what  they  were,  note,  253  ;  curious  account 
of  one,  254. 

Physicians,  first  in  Egypt,  39  ;  originally  surgeons,  100, 
Plato  borrowed  probably  from  the  writings  of  Moses,  233. 
Plato*s  commonwealth  realized  among  the  ancient  He- 
brews, 50, 

Plural,  when  first  used  in  speaking  to  one  person,  152. 


382 


INDEX. 


Poetry,  the  most  ancient  species  of  it,  127  ;  dramatic,  not 
used  among  the  Hebrews,  127  ;  curious  specimens  of 
ir,  14S,  149. 

Polygamy,  the  reason  of  it,  1 16  ;  reasons  why  tolerated, 
116. 

Population  of  ancient  nations,  curious  facts  concerning, 
66,  &c. 

Pot,  whence  Jerusalem  compared  to  it,  169. 
Presbyter,  whence,  205. 

Priests,  not  excluded  from  civil  offices,  or  bearing  arms, 
171,  213  ;  among  the  Israelites  and  Egyptians  the 
only  writers  of  history,  133  ;  not  necessary  at  the 
ceremony  of  circumcision,  112;  forbidden  to  be  pre- 
sent at  funerals,  162';  their  court  in  the  temple,  166; 
what  part  they  bore  in  the  sacrifices,  168  ;  went  bare- 
foot into  the  temple,  171,  320;  their  order,  election, 
manner  of  life,  laws,  functions,  habits,  321-324  ;  oblig- 
ed to  marry,  but  within  their  own  tribe,  170,  230;  for- 
bidden from  wearing  woollen,  171  ;  their  support,  171  ; 
high  priests  from  the  time  of  Flerod,  as  many  as  the 
kings  pleased,  245  ;  how  consecrated,  324. 

Priesthood  (high)  its  succession,  324  ;  passes  from  the 
family  of  Aaron  to  that  of  Judas  Maccabeus,  325. 

Prophets,  when  most  numerous,  180  ;  lived  in  societies, 
181  ;  of  low  circumstances,  181  ;  wore  sackcloth,  182; 
often  married  men,  182  ;  whence  David,  Samuel,  and 
Daniel,  not  reckoned  prophets,  182  ;  their  office,  182  ; 
many  counterfeited  the  demeanor  of  prophets,  183  ; 
false  gods  had  likewise  their  prophets,  183  ;  called 
seersy  333. 

Prophesying,  how  promoted  by  music,  128. 

Proselytes,  of  two  sorts,  102,  262,  367  ;  one  hundred  and  . 
fifty-three  thousand  of  them  in  Judea  in  Solomon's 
time,  103  ;  carefully  distinguished  from  the  true  Israel- 
ites, 230. 

Proselyte  of  habitation,  262;  of  justice,  262;  ceremo- 
nies on  admitting  one,  263,  264. 
Publicans,  who,  248. 

Pulse,  the  most  common  food  of  the  ancionts,  and  which 
gave  names  to  the  best  families  among  the  Romaiis, 
93. 

Purifications  prescribed,  for  what  reason,  97,  98. 


INDEX* 


383 


Clueeii  of  Sheba,  her  hard  questions  or  enigmas,  125. 

Rain,  morning  and  evening,  means  spring  and  autumn 

in  Scripture,  59. 
Rashim,  who,  211. 

Rechabites,  who,  176,  315  ;  their  institutions,  332. 
Riddles  among  the  ancients,  125. 
Rising  early,  what  it  denotes  in  Scripture,  92. 
Rivers  of  Judea,  270. 

Romans,  their  esteem  for  husbandry,  51,  131  •  their  ge^ 
nius,  238  ;  dignities,  280. 

Sabbath,  its  meaning,  282  ;  when  it  began,  282  ;  signifies 

sometimes  a  whole  week,  285. 
Sabbatical  year,  285  ;  no  debts  exacted  in  them,  691; 

slaves  then  recovered  their  liberty,  198. 
Sacrifices,  ordinarily  presented  and  slain  by  the  people 

at  the  altar,  166  ;  by  the  priests  at  the  public  sacrifices 

for  all  the  people,  168  ;  continual  sacrifice  of  four  lambs 

daily,  168;  different  kinds,  296,  306-309;  described 

by  Eusebius,  297,  298. 
Sacrificing,  what  it  implies,  300;  the  end  of  all  religion, 

300  ;  time  of,  305. 
Sadducees,  their  tenets,  251. 
Sagan,  high  priest's  deputy,  3î^5. 
Samaria  described,  275. 

Samaritan  letters  the  ancient  Hebrew,  121, 228  ;  Samari- 
tan temple  destroyed,  244. 

Samaritans,  their  origin,  343  ;  monstrous  idolatry,  344  ; 
build  a  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim,  A.  M.  3595,  and 
never  afterward  addicted  to  idolatry,  345  ;  modern  in 
Judea  and  Egypt,  347  ;  their  high  priest's  confession 
of  faith,  349  ;  deceived  by  Mr.  Huntington,  353  ;  their 
letter  to  their  supposed  brethren  in  England,  353  ;  de- 
liver their  pentateuch  to  Mr.  Huntington,  357  j  this 
copy  described,  360. 

Sanhedrim,  or  council  of  seventy-two,  247  ;  name  ex- 
plained, 247  ;  see  CouaciL 

Sarim,  what,  212. 

Sceptre  not  departing  from  Judah,  what  meant  by  it, 
196,  ?ee  note. 


384 


INDEX. 


Schools  for  study  little  in  use  among  the  Hebrews,  130; 

whence  the  name,  130. 
Scriptures,  why  read  to  so  little  purpose,  24  ;  in  theit 

style  resemble  the  ancient  Greek  writers,  135;  the 

Greek  of  them  not  elegant,  257. 
Septuagint,  account  of,  235. 

Sense  and  sound,  curious  combinations  of,  in  the  Hebrew 

poetry,  148-151. 
Seers,  who,  333. 

Shemoneh  Esreh,  or  eighteen  prayers  of  the  ancient 

Jews,  364. 
Sheminith,  what,  140. 

Shields,  Solomon's  three  hundred,  value  of,  341. 
Shiggaion,  what,  140. 
Sliophetim,  judges,  205,  212. 
Shoterim,  inferior  officers  of  justice,  205,  212. 
Shoshannim,  what,  141. 

Silk,  not  known  to  the  ancients,  nor  till  late  on  this  sid© 

the  Indies,  83, 
Sin  offering,  307. 

Sitting  at  meals  used  by  the  ancient  Israelites  and  Greeks, 
92  J  changed  to  lying  from  the  reign  of  the  Persians^ 
92. 

Slaves,  anciently  lived  happier  than  our  country  people, 
55  ;  few  among  the  Israelites,  71,  113  ;  in  what  case» 
they  became  so  to  their  brethren,  198  ;  recovered  their 
freedom  in  the  Sabbatical  and  jubilee  years,  198  ;  the 
greatest  princes  reduced  to  slavery,  by  conquest,  227. 

Solomon,  his  immense  riches,  221  ;  revenues,  221,  342  ; 
what  his  example  teaches,  223,  224. 

Songs  more  ancient  than  letters,  126. 

Sopherin,  the  learned  men  or  scribes  so  called,  122. 

Spain  had  once  the  same  customs  with  Africa,  now  more 
resembles  Germany,  27. 

Stipulation,  what  meant  by  it,  209. 

Stola,  what,  79. 

Stones  ofthe^temple,  remarkable  ones,  221  ;  burthensome, 
what,  119. 

Strange  women,  who  meant  by  them  in  Scripture,  194. 
Strangers  why  avoided  by  the  IsraeUtes,  and  by  other 
nations,  101. 


INDEX. 


385 


Surnames  of  Roman  families,  93  ;  Grecian,  explained,  45, 
Swine's  flesh  abstained  from  by  Egyptians  as  well  a*. 
Jews,  95. 

Synagogues  in  each  city,  who  appointed  to  speak  in 
them,  133. 

Talent,  value  of,  340  j  how  to  reduce  it  into  English 

money,  339. 
Tapestry  rarely  used  in  the  east,  88. 
Targets,  Solomon's  two  hundred,  value  of,  341. 
Targumista,  who,  330. 

Temple,  why  only  one,  165  ;  j)o  trees  about  it,  165  ;  en- 
tered into  by  the  priests  alone,  166  ;  the  riches  prepar- 
ed for  it  by  David,  221  ;  when  rebuilt  231  ;  admired 
by  fore: ^ners  for  its  magnificence,  237;  dues  for  tenths 
and  first  fruits  sent  from  distant  parts  in  money,  246. 

Temple,  its  magnificence  described  by  Maimonides,  319. 

Tents,  the  most  ancient  habitations,  35. 

Tenths,  312. 

Tephillin,  what,  253. 

Thee  and  thou  the  language  of  antiquity,  152. 
Thigh,  what  meant  by  it  in  Scripture,  153^ 
Tithes,  312. 

Time,  how  measured  among  the  Hebrews,  281, 
Titles,  46. 

Totaphot,  what,  253. 

Trades  and  arts,  73-79. 

Traditions,  Jewish,  very  frivolous,  255. 

Tribes,  into  how  many  the  Israelites,  and  other  nation», 
were  divided,  42  ;  tribe  of  Levi,  what  their  inherit- 
ance, 47;  of  Judah  and  Ephraim,  how  distinguished, 
47  ;  what  tribes  included  in  the  kingdom  of  Judah^ 
226  ;  preserved  distinct  during  their  captivity  and 
afterward,  229  ;  Roman  and  Athenian  tribes,  43. 

Tribute,  how  much  paid  by  Palestine,  and  how  much 
by  Babylon  to  Darius,  231  ;  how  much  extorted  from 
the  Jews  by  the  Romans,  244. 

Tsitsith,  what,  253. 

Tunic,  what,  79. 

Twelves  tribes  divided  into  their  families,  259. 
Urim  and  Thummim,  what,  328,^ 


386 


INDEX. 


Virginity  anciently  not  reckoned  a  virtue,  114. 
Vows,  175;  in  what  they  chiefly  consisted,  176  ;  oîûhé 
Nazarites,  what,  176  ;  see  310. 

Wars  213. 

Week,  285.   Week  of  Days,  285. 

Women,  their  employment  among  the  ancients,  109 
often  doorkeepers  among  the  Israelites,  110  j  inherit- 
ed only  in  default  of  male  issue,  1 14. 

Worship  among  the  Jews  attended  with  sensible  mirth 
mixed  with  spiritual,  173. 

Writing  probably  invented  before  the  deluge,  31  ;  not 
mentioned  before  the  time  of  Moses,  30  ;  contracts  in 
writing  not  mentioned  till  a  little  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  208  j  obtained  late  among  the  Ro- 
mans, 209. 

Year,  Jewish,  of  how  many  days,  172  ;  how  computed^ 
289  ;  civil,  290  j  ecclesiastical,  290  ;  exact  regulation 
of,  294. 

Years,  four  sorts  among  the  Jews,  295. 

Zebachim,  who,  304. 
Zercth,  what,  327. 
Zikonim,  who,  211. 


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